Chuck vs the Twist of Fate
by Costas TT
Summary: What if Bryce had managed to keep him out of the CIA's clutches without getting him expelled from Stanford? How would Chuck meet Sarah? How would he become the Intersect? His destiny is inevitable. Basically an AU story with many canon references. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This story is yet another AU take on how Chuck and Sarah meet.

Naturally, the standard disclaimers apply to all chapters.

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**Chuck vs the Twist of Fate**

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The ancient Greeks had a saying. That it is impossible to escape one's destiny. The same applies to the characters of this story.

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**Chapter 1 – Hi, I'm Chuck **

Charles Irving Bartowski, Chuck to his family and friends, was a happy man. He had every right to be. Even though his mother had left when he was young and his father did the same while he was in his teens, his older sister Eleanor had done a creditable job raising him.

Chuck had been a scholarship student in Stanford University, and graduated with top honors earning a degree in electrical engineering. While in Stanford he'd aced every class with one exception. In Professor Fleming's class he scored a low (to him) but still respectable (objectively) sixty percent in the encoded images section. He didn't mind, as he'd admitted that his answers were kind of a shot in the dark. His best friend and roommate even joked that they both sucked in subliminal image recognition and retention. Even the breakup with his college girlfriend, who was going away to continue her studies did not dampen his spirits. It had saddened them both, but they knew that they had a very small chance of making a long-distance relationship work.

Anyway, after graduation Chuck found that he had a lot of ideas, of the kind that could generate enough money to allow him to make a comfortable living, but he'd definitely need some sort of start up capital. He was loath to ask his sister for a loan, since she still had her own student loans to pay off, so he'd continued working at the Burbank Buy More – his summer job during high school and college – as the supervisor of the Nerd Herd, the IT service section, while simultaneously being a freelance programmer. After three years he'd scraped together enough money to launch his own small software business.

His right hand was his best friend Morgan Grimes. They had known each other since they were six years old and grew up together. They were practically brothers. Morgan was a short, bearded, funny looking guy with a heart of gold. He had been immature and irresponsible, content to work as a sales associate, or green shirt, at the Buy More, until Chuck's positive influence helped him earn a management degree from the local community college. Now he helped Chuck run Orion Games and Software. The idea for the company's name had been Chuck's. His father had given him a picture of the constellation for his room, which he'd hanged next to the Tron poster.

On the dating front Chuck wasn't doing too well. His sister constantly tried to set him up with various girls, mostly friends of hers from the hospital where she and her boyfriend Devon worked. But Chuck was too busy to commit to a relationship and also did not like flings and one-night stands. He was too respectful of women for that, not to mention his natural shyness. No amount of prodding from Ellie, Morgan and Devon, the three most important people in his life, could change that.

For a relative newcomer in a crowded field Chuck's company was doing rather well, but he still avoided any unnecessary expenses. That's why he still shared an apartment with Ellie and Devon in Echo Park.

His greatest success was in computer game development. He had worked as a subcontractor for major gaming companies, where he had earned praise for the quality of his work, and had gone on to develop two game engines: the Orion Engine for single player games and the Constellation Engine for multiplayer games. Licensing them out to other companies for use with their own games was another source of valuable income.

Right now Chuck was in San Francisco, attending a video game conference, and hoping he'd get enough interest in his latest game to get the ball rolling on full development and eventual production. He'd already made a demo, which he was hoping to show to distribution company executives. With a bit of luck he might get some advance orders and maybe even some down payments.

-o-

"What is your new game called, Mr. Bartowski?" The question came from a distribution company executive Chuck was meeting with.

"It's called '38th Parallel'."

"Sounds familiar."

"It's about the Korean War, as this era has been ignored by game developers."

"I see… What about specifications?"

"The game will use our proprietary engines for both single player and multiplayer modes. The players will be able to select nationality and the gameplay will be adjusted accordingly. You won't see any glaring historical inaccuracies."

"You sound like you've done research on the subject, Mr. Bartowski."

"We have devoted considerable time and effort on historical research, yes."

"Would I be asking too much if I told you I'd like to see a teaser?"

"Uh, no, I came prepared. I have a short video you can watch. It's not a playable demo, that comes later, but it is representative of the graphics."

"I'm impressed. When can I see it?"

"Right now, if you want."

"Really?"

"Sure."

"I'd love to."

Chuck opened his laptop computer and started the video. By the time it was over, the executive was already mentally counting how much money his company would make by distributing such an excellent game. His conviction was reinforced when Chuck played a short demo. The realism was breathtaking, while the game did not tax the hardware too much. He expressed interest in getting the exclusive distribution rights to the game and offered Orion Games & Software a mutually satisfactory deal. Naturally, Chuck agreed and promised that they would sign the final contracts soon.

He was on his way to the parking lot after wandering around the stands and meeting a few more people, including some he had licensed the use of his gaming engines to. His cell phone rang.

"Hey Morgan," he said when he saw the caller ID.

"Dude, how's San Francisco?"

"Haven't seen much of it. I've been quite busy."

"Tell me the good news."

"I found a company willing to distribute our new game, little buddy."

"You did? Already? Nah, I shouldn't be acting so surprised. After all, you went all out on this one."

"I couldn't do it without you."

"It's nice to be appreciated. Oh, I almost forgot. Ellie's planning a surprise party for your birthday."

"Oh, no."

"Chuck, it'll be fun."

"No, it won't. She'll try to set me up with one of her doctor friends again. I'll try to think of a way out of it. Maybe I'll stay here for a few days."

"And let all her efforts go to waste? What kind of party will it be if you'll be absent?"

"I'll talk her out of it. At least I'll try to."

"You know, all work and no play makes Chuck a dull Nerd."

"Call of Duty and Halo marathons when I get back, with all the pizza you can eat and all the grape soda you can drink."

"Are you trying to bribe me into helping you avoid the party?"

"No, I'm trying to squeeze some quality time in our schedule."

"It's good, but you need to put yourself back on the market. There are many eligible ladies out there."

"Can we talk about that when I get back to Burbank?"

"Fine. Well, enjoy your stay there and have a safe trip back. I'll call you if anything comes up."

"You do that. See you tomorrow."

"Take care."

Chuck hung up and thought for a couple of minutes. Instead of heading to his car he dialed another number.

"Hello little brother," Ellie answered.

"Hi sis. How are things in Burbank?"

"The same. What about you?"

"I made a good deal for our new game."

"That's great, Chuck! Congratulations," she practically squealed.

"One more thing; a little bird told me that you are planning something behind my back. Call the whole thing off, as I don't think I'll be available."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play with me, Ellie. I'm talking about the birthday party you want to throw me."

"Who told you about that?"

"Like I said, it was a little bird."

"Was it a little _bearded_ bird? How on earth did Morgan find out? I deliberately kept him out of the loop so that he would not be able to warn you."

"Well, he found out somehow and was kind enough to give me a heads-up."

"I'm gonna kill him."

"So, are you going to cancel your plans?"

"No," Ellie said stubbornly. "You will celebrate your birthday."

"Can we at least invite some of _my_ friends as well and not only your doctor friends?"

"Who do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking about calling some people from the Buy More and…"

"Not that creepy serial killer what's his name…"

"You mean Jeff? No, I think it'd be best to keep him and Lester off of the list. But we can still invite Big Mike, Skip, Anna and a couple of others."

"Oh, well, at least these people are harmless."

"Coordinate with Morgan on the Buy More issue. He'll give the invitations. He knows exactly what to do."

"Okay Chuck. When are you coming back?"

"Tomorrow as planned, unless something comes up. Don't worry; I'll call you if I have to change or modify my plans."

"Great! Enjoy your stay there."

"Give Captain Awesome my best regards."

"I will. Bye Chuck. And try to get some rest. You sound tired."

"I am tired and I was going back to the motel anyway. I think I'll get something to eat first."

He finally walked to his blue Ford Focus. He would go back to the cheap but clean motel where he had booked a room. He believed in avoiding unnecessary expenses and instead investing in future projects as well as saving money. He needed a rest. The conference had been fun, but it was also exhausting. Little did he know as he drove out of the parking lot that his quiet life would soon be turned upside down.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Glad to see you liked the first chapter so much. Thank you for all your support and encouragement. Time to give you what you've been waiting for: Chuck meeting Sarah for the first time.

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**Chapter 2 – The Fateful Encounter**

Chuck drove through the still busy streets towards the motel. Fortunately after a short while the traffic thinned out and he was able to drive a bit faster, but still cautiously as he didn't know the city all that well.

Not far away, a young blonde woman ran down an alley towards the nearest street. Suddenly a bullet whizzed by, inches from her head. She turned, taking cover behind a dumpster, aimed her suppressed Smith & Wesson 5906 automatic and squeezed off two shots at her pursuers, dropping one of them in his tracks and sending the remaining two scrambling for cover. Wanting to force them to continue keeping their heads down, she fired a few more rounds in their direction. With the last shot the slide locked in the open position, the gun being now empty. She got up and ran again towards the street, while slamming a fresh magazine into the pistol. She had completed her mission and now she had to go to the designated extraction point. Hopefully she'd find a cab or borrow (steal really) a car before the bad guys caught up with her. Satisfied that she'd left them far behind her around a bend in the alley, she unscrewed the suppressor from her gun and stuck it in her pants pocket. She looked behind her again and was about to stash the gun in the waistband of her pants when she realized she'd already reached the street.

Chuck had just finished fiddling with the radio in the car, having finally found a station playing good music and not the horrible stuff only teenagers seemed to be partial to. He had barely put his hand back on the wheel when a woman suddenly appeared in front of him. He slammed on the brakes, screeching to a halt, just avoiding running her over. He looked at her in astonishment. She was a beautiful blue eyed blonde, wearing a white shirt and black pants, one hand still resting on the hood of the Ford and she appeared to be just as startled and relieved that she was still in one piece. He then noticed the big gun in her other hand.

The blonde once again looked around like a cornered animal seeking an avenue of escape and in one swift move yanked open the passenger side door and slipped inside. He opened his mouth to protest, but before one word came out she gave him a half-commanding, half-pleading look and said, or rather yelled, just one word.

"DRIVE!"

The urgency her voice communicated penetrated his confusion and he promptly pressed down on the accelerator. She was frantically looking for any sign of pursuit while fastening her seatbelt. No one was coming after them. When Chuck turned into another street, she settled in her seat, tilted her head back, closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, waiting for her heart rate to slow down to normal.

"Who are you? What's going on? Why did you carjack me?" Chuck babbled, pulling her back into reality.

"Uh, yeah, sorry about that," she offered lamely but sincerely, looking right into his chocolate brown eyes.

"Sorry? Is that all you can come up with? Sorry?"

"Look, I understand that you must be really upset and confused right now…"

"Just give me a good excuse not to ask for help from the nearest cop."

"I am the cops. Sort of."

"Yeah, right. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that it's standard procedure for cops to carjack civilians," he said sarcastically. He stopped at a red light and turned to talk to her. It was then that he noticed the look of utter exhaustion on her face, the dark circles under her tired but still bright eyes. As she twisted around in her seat to take yet another look behind them, her shirt rode up and he also saw a big and obviously painful purplish bruise on her side.

"I said I'm sort of a cop," she said, turning again to him.

"What do you mean by that? And are you OK? You are hurt."

"I'm a CIA agent." She produced her official ID and showed it to him. "And I'm fine, thanks for your concern."

"Where do you want to go?"

"Just keep driving," she said tiredly and sank lower in the seat. "Don't worry. I'll be out of your hair before you know it."

"Okie-dokie," he replied. He decided to go to his motel. She could very well find another means of transportation there. "So, what's a CIA agent doing here in San Francisco?" He got no reply. The girl had fallen fast asleep. The gun slipped from her fingers and dropped to the floor mat. When he stopped at another red light he reached over, picked it up and stashed it in the center console. He would give it back to her when she'd wake up. Just before the traffic light turned green he draped his light jacket over her.

He finally reached the motel and parked the car as close to his room as possible. Then he tried to wake the sleeping beauty up by lightly shaking her shoulder. She didn't even react to his touch.

"Hey," he said, shaking her a little harder. "Wake up." Nothing. He shook her yet again. She stirred a little and a slight, almost inaudible, whimper escaped her lips. "What am I going to do with you, Miss CIA Agent?" Chuck mused aloud, realizing that she was too exhausted to wake up right now. He shrugged, resigning himself to the fact that there was only one thing he could do. He got out of the car and moved to her side. Opening the door, he pulled his jacket off of her, threw it aside and unfastened her seatbelt. Quickly scanning the surrounding area, he made sure that there was no one watching and then slid his right arm under her knees and his left behind her back. Taking extra care not to bang her head against the doorframe, he gently lifted her sleeping form and carried her to the room. Fortunately, he'd had the presence of mind to have the key in his hand before he picked her up. He unlocked the door, hurried inside and deposited her on one side of the relatively big bed.

"Now all I have to do is make you more comfortable," he said and pulled back the covers on the other side. "But first, I have to do something about that bruise of yours." Of course, she hadn't heard a single word but he didn't care.

He ran back to the car and retrieved the first aid kit from the trunk. He made a mental note to thank Ellie and Devon. Being doctors, not only had they prepared a comprehensive kit for his car, but had also given him some basic first aid training. As an afterthought, he took her gun from its hiding place in the center console and returned to the room, closing and locking the door behind him.

First he hid the gun in a nightstand drawer. Then he pulled her boots off and was surprised to see a sheath full of throwing knives strapped to her lower leg above the ankle. It too went into the drawer next to the gun. From a travel bag he took out a clean T-shirt and pondered possible ways to put it on her while respecting her modesty. In the end he just unbuttoned her pants and covered her with a bed sheet before removing both the pants and the shirt and putting the T-shirt on her. And he did it all without looking. Tucking her in was the easiest part. She didn't even stir as he maneuvered her under the covers.

The final task was to tend to her injury. He pulled the covers down to her waist and pushed the hem of the T-shirt up, exposing the ugly bruise on her left side below the ribcage. From the first aid kit he took a tube of soothing ointment and liberally applied some to the bruise, taking care to avoid putting too much pressure on it. Satisfied with the result, he tucked her back in and brushed a stray strand of golden hair off her forehead and behind her ear.

Chuck was quietly humming to himself as he took a pillow and a couple of blankets and arranged them on the couch. He was about to lie down and relax when he decided to clean up the mess in the room first. He repacked the first aid kit and left it on the nightstand just in case. Then he took her wrinkled and somewhat dirty clothes and neatly folded them. As he did that, two things fell from her pants pockets; the suppressor for her gun and a battered cell phone. He turned the latter over in his hands, looking at it with an experienced eye. It was a total loss, broken beyond repair.

Finally relaxing on the couch with a gaming magazine, he replayed the afternoon's crazy events in his head. By all rights he should have freaked out monumentally by now, in fact he knew that he had actually freaked out at some point, but for some reason all he wanted to do was help the woman fate had sent his way.

Chuck had already eaten a late and very filling lunch at the conference and decided to skip dinner. He should probably get his… guest something to eat, but he didn't know when she'd wake up. She'd probably sleep through the night judging by how tired she'd looked, so he'd just have to buy her breakfast. He rationalized that as an agent she had dedicated her life to protecting the country and civilians like him, so in his mind it was the least he could do for her.

It was still early, so after a few minutes he put the magazine down, rose from the couch and picked up some things. Since nobody could know that she was in his room, he thought she'd be safe for the short duration of his absence. When he returned he moved to the desk, rolled up his shirt sleeves and turned on his laptop computer. He spent the next hour replying to emails and doing some necessary work. Occasionally he would check up on the sleeping blonde spy to see if she was OK. She appeared to be resting comfortably.

Just before 5 p.m. he took another break and left the room again, returning less than ten minutes later with a neatly wrapped package which he set down on the dresser and a coffee. He slowly sipped from it as he resumed working on his computer. When he was done with work he surfed the web for a while and then he turned on the TV, keeping the volume low. Serenity was playing on cable and he sat down to watch it, as it was one of his favorite movies. As the end credits started rolling on the screen, he turned it off and lay on the couch pulling a blanket over his lanky frame. It was not the most comfortable place to sleep, but he felt that his guest deserved to have the bed all to herself. Besides, he didn't want her to get any wrong ideas if she woke up and discovered them in the same bed, no matter how big it was. It took a little squirming and turning, but he finally managed to find a comfortable position and promptly fell asleep.

-o-

The morning sun was filling the room with light when she stirred and woke up. She bolted upright as she took in the unfamiliar surroundings. She had no idea how she got there, or how she ended up in a strange bed, wearing a large T-shirt over her underwear. Plus, her weapons were not on her. Her gaze rested on a man who was waking up on a couch that was clearly too small for him. He noticed her awake and looking at him and smiled. It was a genuine, bright smile.

"Hey, you're awake," he said. "Did you sleep well?" He got up and quickly pulled a pair of pants on.

"Where am I? How did I get here?"

"You are in my motel room. You fell asleep in the car yesterday. You must have been dead tired to sleep for so many hours," he replied.

"I hadn't had much sleep in the last five days," she said truthfully, stretching with cat-like grace before remembering her state of undress and instinctively pulling the covers up to her chin. "Where are my clothes?"

"On the dresser," he said and she followed his pointing finger to where her shirt and pants were neatly folded, still wrapped in the nylon bag from the dry cleaners. "The rest of your stuff is in the first drawer to your left. Your cell phone was beyond saving, I'm afraid." Following his directions she opened the drawer and found her knives, gun, ammunition, suppressor, wallet and broken cell phone.

"You undressed me? And you had my clothes laundered?"

"I can take apart a computer and put it back together blindfolded. Getting you in that T-shirt without looking was easy. And yes, I took your clothes to the cleaners. You didn't have anything else to wear."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. I'll go get us some breakfast. How does a coffee and chocolate croissant sound?"

"Sounds good," her grumbling stomach prompted her to say.

"I'll be back," he said, tying his shoelaces.

"Can I take a shower?"

"You don't even have to ask."

"Thank you." After the initial shock of waking up in an unfamiliar place wore off and her spy mode kicked in, she wasn't shy about walking around in front of the stranger she'd carjacked in only her underwear and his T-shirt. "Um, do you have some clean underwear I can borrow?"

"Sure, look in there," he replied, pointing at his travel bag. She rummaged through it hoping for a pair of boxer shorts and from one of the compartments pulled out a brand new cotton bra and panty set still in its wrapping.

"Do you usually carry these in your bag for saving damsels in wardrobe related distress?"

"What?" He turned and saw what she was talking about. "Oh. No, these are Ellie's. She borrowed my bag recently and she must have forgotten them inside."

"Is this Ellie your girlfriend?" It stood to reason. A tall, nice, reasonably handsome guy like him would have a girlfriend.

"My what? No, she's my sister. She, her boyfriend and I are roommates."

"I see."

"Enjoy your shower. I'll be back by the time you're done." He turned to leave, but changed his mind as he remembered something. "One more thing; after you shower put some of this on your bruise. It'll do you good." He gave her the ointment.

"Thanks again." She disappeared into the bathroom. He went to get the coffee and croissants.

When he returned he found her fully dressed after the shower looking at the various publications he'd picked up at the conference.

"You're back," she said brightly, her eyes on the paper bag containing their breakfast.

"Uh-huh. Help yourself," he said invitingly. She took a bite from her croissant and smiled.

"We weren't formally introduced, but then again it was a little crazy yesterday. I'm Chuck Bartowski, professional Nerd."

"Sarah Walker, CIA agent. But then you already know that. Nice meeting you, Mr. Bartowski."

"Please, call me Chuck," he said as they shook hands.

"OK, Chuck. So, I see you are here on computer business."

"Yes, I write software. In fact I'm the CEO and chief programmer of Orion Games & Software."

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you why I'm here."

"Otherwise you'd have to kill me."

"You got that right."

"In any case I have no need to know."

"I think it's time for me to get out of your hair, Chuck," Sarah said when they finished their breakfast. "Thank you for everything."

"Where are you going to go?"

"I have to go back to my hotel to get my stuff and then to DC."

"I'll drive you."

"No need. Besides, there are bad people looking for me out there. I don't want to put you in any more danger than I already have. I'll take a cab."

"Do they know where you were staying?"

"No."

"Then it's not a problem. I'll drive you."

"Okay," she said after thinking it over. "Chuck?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you insisting on helping me? I mean, you don't know me."

"It's the least I can do for someone who places her life on the line so that the country and civilians like me can stay safe." He said nothing more and instead went about packing. When he finished, he paid for the room and loaded his stuff in the car. As he explained to her, he was returning to Burbank. They both got in the car and she gave directions to her hotel. As she instructed him, he parked across the street from it while she went in, gathered her things and paid for the room.

"Where do you want to go now?" Chuck asked after he helped her put her bags in the trunk.

"You can take me to the airport, if it's not too much trouble. I'll tell you where to drop me off. There might be people there looking for me and I don't want to endanger you."

"And you are willing to risk showing your face at the airport?"

"It's different for me. You are a civilian, I'm a trained agent."

"Still, the risk is too great. I have a better idea."

"Let's hear it."

"I'll take you to Burbank with me and you can take a flight out of LAX or Bob Hope international Airport."

"It's a good plan," she agreed. "I have to contact my boss and report in first. But my phone is ruined."

"You can use mine."

"It's not encrypted."

"Can't you send an email? You have a laptop."

"Good idea." She took it out of its bag and tried to turn it on. "What the…"

"Did you recharge the battery?"

"No," she said sheepishly.

"And my battery won't fit. What other options do you have?"

"I could use a public phone as a last resort."

"Like this one?" He pointed at a payphone.

"Yes. Wait here, I won't be long." She went to the payphone and dialed a number. She spoke to the operator and was connected to CIA Director Langston Graham.

"You took your time calling me, Walker," he said brusquely.

"Sorry Boss, there were complications, but the job is done. I'll be heading home via LA and submit a detailed report on the project when I get back to the office."

"You do that. I'll be waiting. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, sir," she said and hung up. She got back in the car and informed Chuck of the new plans. On the way to Burbank they stopped at a diner to have a light lunch.

"No…" Sarah said as Chuck told her more about Ellie and Devon.

"It's true though."

"So, so wait," she said with an amused smile on her face, "you call him 'Captain Awesome'?"

"Yeah, wait until you meet him. Everything he does is awesome," Chuck deadpanned. "Jumping out of airplanes, climbing mountains, rafting, flossing…"

"That's funny."

"Well, yeah, I'm a funny guy."

"Clearly, which is good because I'm not funny."

"Is that your big secret, by the way? I mean, beside the other thing. Cause I've been sitting here trying to figure out what's wrong with you…"

"Oh, plenty, believe me."

"And I was thinking either she's a cannibal or she's really not that funny and I was pulling for cannibal, because I never met one before."

"Uh, not a cannibal. I did, however, recently come out of a relationship, so I may come with baggage. Hence me not being funny."

"I could be your very own baggage handler," he said with a charming smile.

"You don't want that. Trust me. I know what I'm saying," she said after a somewhat awkward pause. "So what about you, what skeletons do you have in your closet? Any secrets, any women?" Sarah asked, trying to steer the conversation away from the subject of her.

"Yeah, there was one a while back, but currently my work leaves me with no time for dating, despite my sister's frequent efforts to set me up with friends of hers."

"I like you, Chuck." She was completely honest. She could safely say that she'd never met anyone quite like him before. They finished their meal and had an argument in front of the amused waitress as to who would pay. In the end Sarah won by insisting that she owed him a lot more than just a lunch at a diner by the freeway. When they finally got to Burbank, Chuck drove straight to the airport where Sarah booked a seat on a DC bound flight. Not wanting to leave her alone, he waited with her until her flight was boarding.

"Thank you again for everything," she said. On an impulse she could not control for some reason, she hugged him and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I'll never forget you, Chuck."

"I won't forget you either, Sarah."

"You should. I strongly recommend that you do."

"Somehow I don't think it'll be that easy. Impossible might be a better word."

"Goodbye Chuck."

"Goodbye Sarah. Have a nice flight." He waited until she disappeared from view at the boarding gate. Then he went to his car and drove home for dinner, gaming with Morgan and a good night's sleep, thinking about the beautiful puzzle that was Sarah Walker. On the plane she was also thinking about him, wishing they'd met under different circumstances.

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**P.S.:** If the way they meet sounds familiar, it's because it was inspired by an old car commercial starring Harrison Ford.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Well, I freely confess that I didn't expect the kind of response the previous chapter generated (and I thank you all for it). I'll be the first to admit that some things, like Sarah revealing her official capacity right after meeting Chuck, were not too realistic, but they were deliberate to fit the script and make the necessary impression on him.

On to the new chapter! Forgive the liberal use of content from the pilot. It was useful for setting the stage for future chapters, so bear with me please.

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**Chapter 3 – The Bryce Larkin Connection**

"We are, hands down bar none, the best," Morgan said, putting the controller down.

"Another victory for Team Orion," agreed Chuck before taking a big bite from his slice of the pizza and disconnecting from the online Call of Duty game.

"We should do that more often. In fact, we could enter a tournament. The prizes are good and we could both use the money."

"As much as I find the concept appealing, little buddy, I have to remind you that we simply don't have the time. We…"

"You. This stuff is your department."

"OK. _I_ really have to pick up speed writing the code for 38th Parallel."

"You did get a good deal on it, plus a comfortable schedule for the completion of development, not to mention that I get to do the testing. And I have some more good news."

"Let's hear it."

"Skip and Anna dropped by the office while you were in San Francisco."

"Skip and Anna from the Buy More? What did they want?"

"They were running out of certain products of ours. I gave them some from the stock."

"Did we get paid?"

"I already cashed the check and paid the rent for the office."

"That's good news. One less thing to worry about." Someone knocked on the door. "Come in," Chuck called. Devon 'Captain Awesome' Woodcomb entered.

"Chuckster, I need your help," he said. "Hey little man," he told Morgan.

"Captain."

"What's the problem, Devon?"

"My laptop froze again. Can you please take a look at it?"

"It's still under warranty," Chuck said with a smile.

"I trust you more to fix it than Jeff or Lester, who came the last time it happened."

"Okay, let's see what the problem is." Devon gave him the laptop and Chuck started working on it, the other two men watching with interest. "It's your hard drive," he concluded. "It needs to be changed. Don't worry. You won't lose any data. I'll swing by the Buy More on the way to work tomorrow and get you a new one. I'll install it myself."

"Dude, you're a life saver. And you have the hands of a surgeon."

"Fortunately I operate on computers. I don't think I can stand being up to my elbows in blood and guts like you do all the time."

Later, when he was alone in his room, he tidied up the place and made himself comfortable on the bed, working on his laptop and enjoying a coke. When he turned the computer off and relaxed, his thoughts went to Sarah Walker. _Could I be any cheesier than that? It was a classic lame pickup line_,he chided himself for telling her that he could be her very own baggage handler at the diner. But still, at the moment it had felt like the right thing to say. Perhaps it was because she'd allowed herself to relax, let her guard down and, for a brief time, let a normal girl take the place of the hardened consummate agent.

-o-

In Washington DC, Sarah parked her gleaming black Porsche convertible in the basement garage of her apartment building and took the elevator to her floor. The debriefing sessions after the successful conclusion of the unexpectedly complicated mission to take out the Barracuda, a notorious weapons dealer who was one of the main suppliers to the Colombian and Mexican drug cartels, had been just as tiresome as the mission itself. Her boss had even reprimanded her in private for involving a civilian in a CIA operation and revealing her agent status to him, but concurred that she'd done well, considering the circumstances. The best news was that Graham had given her an entire week off.

She opened the door to her sparsely furnished apartment and made a beeline to the small kitchen, where she poured herself a glass of wine which she planned to enjoy while relaxing in her favorite soft overstuffed armchair. It was the only personal touch in her residence. The place was sparsely furnished and contained the bare necessities. She didn't need much more, as she was only there during the short time between missions. She had just finished her first glass of wine when her phone rang.

"Hello," she answered the call.

"I heard you're back in DC and you didn't even give me a call," a familiar feminine voice said accusingly.

"Carina?"

"That's right. What's your excuse this time?"

"I just finished with the debriefings and post-mission reports."

"Are you in the mood for a night out?"

"I'll pass, but thanks for the offer."

"I had to try. Maybe you should reconsider. Who knows, you might even meet someone and forget about your ex. Any man who dumps Sarah Walker should really be committed to an insane asylum."

"Carina, how many times do I have to tell you that Bryce and I agreed that our breakup was for the best?"

"So you're not moping over pretty boy Bryce?"

"Hell no. I'm just tired."

"Too bad, I was hoping to check out a new club tonight."

"I have a better idea. Take your PJs and come to my place. I'll have a movie, wine and popcorn waiting."

"What kind of movie, chick flick, gory splatter/slasher, comedy, adventure?"

"Whatever catches my eye at the video store."

"Sounds like fun. I'll be there in thirty."

"I'll be waiting."

Thirty minutes on the dot later, the doorbell rang. Sarah, dressed in her favorite pajamas, light blue with drawings of little puppies on them, opened the door.

"Jag har saknat dig, Sarah," Carina said. She was wearing pink pajamas under her long overcoat.

"Tęskniłam za," Sarah responded and hugged the redhead. "Why on earth did you dye your hair red? Not that it doesn't look good on you."

"I did it for the job. The last mark liked redheads."

"It's just… I like your natural color better."

"I know and so do I. But you promised a movie, popcorn and wine, so it's time to deliver."

"Come on in. Everything's ready."

After the movie ended Carina was too tired and too tipsy to drive to her place, so Sarah offered to share the queen sized bed with her.

"So, Sarah," she slurred as she fluffed her pillow, "mind letting me in on how you got over Bryce so quickly? Who did you meet?"

"I was too busy to go out meeting guys," Sarah murmured with her eyes closed and turned on her side. "Just don't hog the covers." But her mind wandered to the man whose natural goodness had slipped past her defenses as if they had never existed and for the first time made her long for something normal in her life. That man was Chuck Bartowski. She wondered if she'd ever get to meet him again.

The following day both women woke up with mild hangovers. Carina returned to her apartment while Sarah opted for a long shower. She then decided to go shopping, one of her favorite post-mission activities and also one of her few concessions to her inner girl.

Meanwhile, in Burbank, Chuck was getting ready for another day at the office. First, he took Devon's laptop to the Buy More, where Skip Johnson, the current Nerd Herd supervisor, gave him a new hard drive for it and helped transfer the data to it. While at work, Ellie called to remind him to get some things for his birthday party, which was in a few days. He still wondered how on earth his sister had gotten him to agree to that. It just might be because when she got something in her head nothing stopped her from doing it, she was so stubborn.

-o-

What neither Chuck nor Sarah knew was that their lives would intersect again, very soon. Two nights later a lone figure broke into a high security government building in the DC area. Bryce Larkin was definitely not a bank executive as Chuck believed. He made his way to a computer terminal in the middle and plugged a PDA in. Pausing only to put on a pair of dark glasses, he activated the system. The walls around him flashed with a seemingly endless show of various pictures as the contents of the computer were transferred to the PDA.

"It's hard to say goodbye," he said as he placed a small but powerful explosive charge on the terminal. The blast blew the heavy door clean off its hinges just as Bryce reached it. Evading or neutralizing the guards who were coming after him, he made his way to the parking lot. There he frantically scrolled down the contacts list on his PDA, looking for one particular name. He'd just found it when the sharp crack of a gunshot shattered the stillness of the night. Bryce fell backwards on the asphalt with a bullet in his chest.

"Don't move," said the shooter.

"You're too late, Casey," he said and pressed the send button just before his world went black. A name briefly flashed on the screen of the PDA before it self-destructed.

-o-

Chuck was in his room with Morgan playing Halo after the party. Frankly, it had been a bust. True to form, Ellie had used it as an opportunity to try and set up Chuck with yet another one of her doctor friends. They had even considered getting out of there and going to the office to find some peace, but what stopped them was the knowledge that they wouldn't hear the end of it from Ellie. His computer beeped, announcing an incoming email. Morgan, who was closer to it, glanced at the screen.

"Wow, Chuck, talk about a blast from the past! Bryce remembered your birthday!"

"What? I haven't heard from Bryce since we graduated from Stanford! I wonder how he's doing."

"Well, what have we got here?" Morgan asked as Chuck opened the email and noticed an attachment titled Stanford-dot-zrk. He clicked it and the phrase 'The terrible troll raises his sword' appeared on the screen.

"Huh."

"What is it?"

"Zork. Remember Zork, the old text-based video game? Bryce and I programmed our own version back in Stanford using the TRS-80."

"Wow, you guys are really cool."

"Yeah, if I could only remember what was in my hero satchel…" Chuck said. "The weapons that I would use to kill the terrible troll," he explained, answering Morgan's unspoken question.

"Right! You know what, you're still really cool."

"And you're going home."

"Is it that time?"

"It's that time."

"Right," Morgan said and collected his stuff.

"Pedal safe!" Chuck called.

"Thank you!"

"Attack troll with nasty knife," Chuck said, remembering what he should do to kill the troll. He typed the answer and entered it. All of a sudden, thousands upon thousands of pictures appeared on the screen in a seemingly never ending slideshow. Mesmerized, Chuck could not tear his eyes off of it. It went on until dawn. When it was over, Chuck passed out and fell backwards to the floor.

-o-

Several hours after the debacle at the secure building, Graham was angrily pacing the destroyed computer room, while NSA Director Brigadier General Diane Beckman stoically stood and studied a file.

"Bryce Larkin was CIA, Graham, he was one of your agents," she finally said.

"And it was the NSA's job to find him. To question him, not to kill him," Graham growled. "Thanks to Rambo here we've got nothing now."

"No, you've got a dead CIA agent. It's a gold star in my book," the man whom Graham described as Rambo said. This man was none other than Casey, who had shot Bryce.

"If this gets out…" Beckman said.

"It won't," Casey assured her.

"Nobody asked you," Graham said, his voice dripping with hostility. Casey's antics had cost him one of his best agents, whose motives were questions that still had to be answered.

"Actually they did. Major Casey is heading up this investigation," said the General.

"So, what was Bryce after? What did this computer do?"

"This computer did everything," Beckman replied, piquing Casey's interest. "After 9/11 the NSA and the CIA were told to play nice, share their intel. This is how we did it."

"Every scrap of data we had went into this computer," Graham added. "It mined for patterns, chatter. It saw things we didn't."

"The data was encrypted into thousands of images. Whoever received Larkin's email got all of our secrets. Find these secrets, Casey."

"I found this on Larkin," he said, holding up Bryce's destroyed PDA. The hard drive was fried. We picked up a trace signature."

"Where?" Beckman was immediately interested.

"Los Angeles. Which is perfect. I'm feeling a little pasty," Casey said smugly and left to go to LA and follow up on the lead.

-o-

Sarah was relaxing in her apartment after a shower, still in her almost obscenely short silk robe when her phone rang.

"Walker, secure," she said when she saw who was calling.

"Graham, secure. Sarah, we have a situation and thus your leave is canceled."

"Good thing I haven't unpacked," she said, deadpan. "What is the problem, sir?"

She went pale as Graham explained what had happened and gave her the new mission. She was to go to LA post haste and locate the recipient of an email containing very high level top secret intelligence. A CIA jet would be waiting to fly her and her car to LAX. This was going to be an off the books operation and she needed to avoid contact with the local field office unless absolutely necessary, hence the need to arrive on site as self sufficient as possible, including a means of transportation. She would receive the full briefing file on the plane.

So great had been the shock from the news she'd gotten from her boss, that her flight had been airborne for over an hour before she realized that the Charles Irving Bartowski mentioned in the file was the Chuck Bartowski she had met in San Francisco. The seriousness of the whole situation notwithstanding, she couldn't help but be rather excited at the prospect of meeting him again. She read Casey's report on the incident several times. There was a possibility that Bryce had sent the data to Chuck by mistake. She fervently hoped that was the case. It would certainly simplify her mission to no end.

-o-

During the flight to LA Sarah had looked for the address of Chuck's company. She found it by the simple expedient of googling it. After landing she drove straight there. She looked at the sign and then inside the offices Orion Games & Software occupied. She smiled when she saw Chuck talking to a short bearded man while dialing a number on the phone.

"Stop the presses, who is that? Vicky Vale!"

"Vicky Vale, Vick-a-Vicky Vale, Vickity-Vickity-Vickity Vale, Vick-a-Vicky Vale…" He looked up and dropped the phone handset in surprise when he saw her. "Sarah!"

"Hi Chuck. I hope I'm not interrupting."

"No, not at all, that's from Batman."

"Because that makes it better?" Sarah teased and Chuck laughed nervously.

"Uh, hi," Morgan said, deciding to intervene and bail his friend out of the embarrassing situation, "I'm Morgan and this is Chuck, but then you already know that. How do you know him, by the way?"

"I didn't know parents still named their kids Morgan," she said.

"Carnival freaks found him in a dumpster," Chuck joked.

"But they raised me as one of their own," Morgan finished the joke.

"Chuck and I met in San Francisco," Sarah answered Morgan's earlier question. "I'm here on vacation and decided to visit friends. One of them is Chuck."

"Sarah, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have an important appointment with customers for a big contract and I can't afford to be late."

"No problem, I'll drop by again later." In fact she followed Chuck and Morgan and made sure that they had been telling the truth. Chuck did not act at all like someone involved in a conspiracy. What neither Sarah nor Morgan knew was that Chuck, in addition to a massive headache, had been experiencing some weird and unsettling blasts of information in his head all morning, which were apparently triggered by random stimuli.

The meeting was a long one, but the news was heartwarming as they landed another contract. They had just entered Chuck's place to celebrate when they came face to face with someone clad entirely in forbidding black, who was in the act of stealing Chuck's computer.

"Please, not the computer," Chuck pleaded. The intruder set the computer down on the floor and adopted a defensive stance. Morgan threw various objects, which were skillfully deflected…, right on to Chuck. In short, the two friends got their asses kicked, but the computer was wrecked when the shelf the thief had placed it on during the fight gave way. The thief escaped, went to a car outside and sped off. It was none other than Sarah Walker. She was upset by her failure to secure Chuck's computer. She'd have to think of something else to verify if Chuck had indeed gotten the government intel.

In the morning Chuck's old friends at the Buy More confirmed that the computer was beyond repair.

Outside in the parking lot Sarah was watching, she had followed him there. She watched as he went to the neighboring Large Mart store to buy new locks for his place. What she didn't see was that inside he had another brief flood of information on a man he saw there.

"I have eyes on him right now," she told Graham over the phone. "Like I said, the computer was destroyed, beyond repair."

"OK. It's done. I want you in the air in an hour."

"But what if he has an external drive, a backup?"

"It's over, Sarah. The NSA is stepping in. Bryce was CIA, he was our guy and he burned us. Casey is on his way there. You are being recalled."

"Because of Casey? He's a burnout."

"He's a killer, Sarah, Cold School. I want you to listen to me. What happened with Bryce you couldn't have known, you couldn't have stopped."

"But I can fix it," she stubbornly insisted. "If there is a backup I'll find it. Just give me twelve hours." She hung up. It was a matter of professional pride for her, as she'd never before failed to complete a mission. But she also didn't want to leave Chuck, a man who'd helped her even though he didn't have to, prey to the likes of Casey. So she followed him to his office and went in. She managed to convince him to go out with her.

Ellie was enthusiastic when Chuck and Morgan told her that her little brother would finally go out on a date with a girl. She took it upon herself to take care of his wardrobe and also give him pointers for a successful date. In her hotel room Sarah was getting ready for the date, too, strapping on various weapons and a form fitting body armor vest, grimacing as she realized that it was only good for stopping knife thrusts and little more. She expressed her concern that Chuck might have not been in cahoots with Bryce and she was ordered to clear it up. Graham ordered her to kill Chuck if he did something suspicious like running.

Throughout the date he had been the perfect gentleman, just like back in San Francisco. In fact she was having such a good time that occasionally it took an effort for her to remember that she was on a mission. Perhaps that was why she missed the external signs of yet another blast of information he experienced. They ended up heading towards a nightclub.

"Chuck Bartowski's your mark. NSA Director wants him with a pulse. Till we find who he's working with and what he knows, he lives. The CIA skirt you can kill," Casey told his men as they were watching the couple from a black government-issue Chevy Suburban.

In the club, Sarah was having a good time, that is until she suddenly noticed several men in dark suits and realized that the competition had arrived. She took Chuck to the dance floor and moved sensually around him, while neutralizing three NSA agents with her knives and sedative-tipped hair pins, the combat moves disguised as dancing. When she saw John Casey's grim face, she dragged Chuck out of the club and towards his car.

"Give me the keys to the car Chuck, NOW!"

"Sarah, you told me that you don't yet know your way around LA. Wait, how did you do that?" She had used a special CIA-issue tool to unlock the doors.

"GET IN!" She had seen a huge black Suburban fishtailing around a corner and heading straight for them.

The wild chase through the streets ended when the hulking SUV T-boned the Chuck's car near an office building. Chuck and Sarah got out and ran towards the building. Sarah managed to disable and stop the Chevy by hitting the button on a guard shack with a throwing knife and activating an emergency barrier, into which the vehicle crashed. She made a call and requested an emergency extraction by helicopter. On the rooftop helipad, she turned to a very frightened Chuck.

"How well did you know Bryce Larkin?"

"Bryce? How… How did you know Bryce?"

"We used to work together at the CIA!"

"The CIA? Bryce Larkin is a spy? Bryce Larkin from Connecticut is a SPY?"

"A rogue spy! Did he try to contact you?"

"I haven't heard from Bryce in… Oh, wait! He sent me an email!"

"Did you open it?"

"Uh, yeah, it was a line from Zork."

"A line from what?"

"Zork. It was a video game we used to play. It was a riddle and I solved it and then there were… pictures; lots and lots of pictures."

"You saw them?"

Chuck just nodded.

"Your computer, did you back it up, is there an external drive?"

"It crashed a week ago. Wait, hold on a second. Was I not supposed to look at those pictures?"

"Chuck, I may have to aim my gun at you, so just don't freak out."

"Aim your gun… Why?"

"It's late, I'm tired… Let's cut the crap and give him to me now. He belongs to the NSA." Casey had followed them to the roof.

"CIA gets him first," Sarah snarled, aiming her gun at Chuck. Immediately Casey aimed his at Sarah. "You come any closer and I shoot."

"Sarah, I'm freaking out!"

"You shoot him, I shoot you, then leave both your bodies here and go out for a late snack. I was thinking maybe pancakes."

Chuck had had enough and bolted. "Chuck, NO!" Sarah yelled, mindful of Graham's order to kill Chuck if he ran. A flash stopped him in his tracks.

"They're gonna kill him!" Chuck said.

"Kill who?" Casey asked. Quickly, Chuck gave them a summary of the day's flashes and what they meant: There was a bomb planted in the hotel across the street to kill an Army General who would be addressing a conference.

"He was working with Bryce!" Casey concluded, now aiming at Chuck.

"NO! He opened Bryce's email!" Sarah said, her gun aimed at Casey's head. "Chuck, those pictures you saw were encoded with secrets, government secrets. If you saw them, then you know them," she explained.

"There were thousands of them."

"Wait a minute… You're telling me all of our secrets are in his head?"

"Chuck is the computer, Casey!"

"What did you say, what does this mean?" Chuck was shocked, to say the least.

"Chuck, I need you to listen to me, you have to tell us where this bomb is."

"WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?"

"You said there was a bomb. Is there time to stop it?"

"What? Are you crazy?"

"No," Casey said, "we're the good guys; we are paid to stop bombs from exploding."

"Look, I can't… I can't help you. I really wish I could, but I can't! Call Bryce. He's the one who can save the day."

"Bryce is dead, Chuck," Sarah said. "He died sending those secrets to you."

"Bryce… Bryce is dead?" Chuck shared a sad look with Sarah. Casey fired a shot in the air to get their attention back.

"Yeah, and he's gonna have a lot of company unless you start talking, so pretty please. Can we defuse the bomb now?"

"According to the schedule, the General is already on the stage."

-o-

What happened next was a blur. Chuck, Sarah and Casey raced to the hotel, found the bomb and Chuck used an internet porn virus to disable the computer that controlled it. When it was all over, Sarah and Casey started arguing about Chuck's fate in an alley near the hotel. Each one wanted to claim him for their respective agencies. Chuck himself was about to intervene when suddenly several armed men surrounded them.

"See, Jefe? I told you it was her," one of them told the leader.

"Muy bien, hombre. Now the puta will pay for everything."

"What's going on?" Chuck asked.

"The chica here killed our boss and some of our friends in San Francisco a few days ago. Now it's payback time."

"Jefe, what are we going to do about the puta's amigos?"

"Mátalos," replied the head honcho. "But first they will watch her die," he said with a sadistic smile which revealed his crooked tobacco stained teeth and pointed his Desert Eagle at her head. Seeing her in mortal danger Chuck experienced something new. It was like the information flashes, but also a lot different.

"Jefe, you should see this," said a thug.

"Chuck? Are you all right?"

"Kill the idiot," the bad guy said. Before the others could even think about carrying out the order, Chuck had knocked the guns from their hands.

"Chuck me," Casey muttered in awe as he watched the Nerd suddenly transform into a martial arts expert. He had all five of their assailants beaten to unconsciousness in no time at all. Sarah and Casey had been too shocked to join the fray. When it was over he just stood there and looked at his hands in astonishment.

"Chuck?" Sarah asked fearfully.

"Guys," Chuck said, still in shock, "I know kung-fu…"

* * *

**P.S.:** Ha-ha-ha! You didn't expect that, did you? Blame my twisted mind, but I always wondered how it would be had Chuck uploaded the 2.0 from the beginning.

Translations: From Swedish: "I missed you, Sarah."

From Polish: "I missed you too."

From Spanish: Jefe = Boss. Mátalos = Kill them.

I used the Google online translator, so I can't guarantee absolute accuracy.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** It's nice to see how much you liked the plot twist at the end of the previous chapter. I think it made up for the repetition of the pilot events and lines. Now, Chuck's alter ego appears for the first time. I originally wanted to include some action as well, but that would have resulted I an overly long chapter, so the beginnings of Operation Bartowski should suffice for now. The action will come in the following chapters.

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Carmichael, Charles Carmichael**

Once Casey's men got their act together after having gotten their butts kicked by Sarah earlier, they carted off the Colombians and handed them over to the cops. In the relative peace of a park near the hotel Sarah and Casey resumed their argument.

"He's coming with me," each one of them insisted.

"What if this was a fluke?" Casey said.

"What if it wasn't? What if he can stop something bigger?" Sarah countered.

"Fine. Let's drop him in a psych tank and let him stare at four rubber walls for a decade. My job is to get the secrets back to DC. These secrets are in his head, which means that this head of his is coming with me."

"We don't know how this works, what triggers the memories. He'll crack wide open."

"Not my job. I break things, I don't fix 'em. I got my orders and I'll carry them out. Let someone else take it from here."

"What about his job, his friends? What do we do about his sister?"

"What about my sister?" Chuck asked as he joined them.

"Nothing," said Sarah. "We were just discussing…"

"No, no, no, hold on a second," Chuck interrupted her. "You have to leave my family and my friends out of this."

"We'll see," said Casey smugly, leaving the threat hanging.

"Look, Bryce sent that email to me. I'm the one remembering your secrets; which means you have to listen to me, both of you. And right now I'm gonna go home."

"No you're not. Nuh-uh." Casey grabbed his arm.

"You need me," he bluntly told them, extricated his arm from Casey's grasp and left.

"We can't have him running around unsupervised," Casey said.

"Let's follow him. Discreetly," Sarah said.

"He's taking a bus!"

"Tell me you have another car! We can't lose him!"

"Do you know his phone number?"

"Hold on." She took her phone out and found Chuck's number. "Here it is."

"Time for some NSA magic. I'll just put a trace on his phone. Wherever he goes, we'll know it. We'll get a car in two minutes." He made just one phone call and sure enough they had a car two minutes later. They followed Chuck to Santa Monica, where they found him sitting on the beach, lost in thought.

-o-

"Trust me, Chuck." Sarah's words echoed in his head as he went to bed. She and Casey had been watching him all night before she had a little chat with him on the beach at dawn. Ellie had been frantic about him being out all night and not calling (she had even had Morgan come over and grilled him relentlessly as to her brother's whereabouts), but he just told her that he had been having a great time with Sarah. He also asked Morgan to hold the fort at the office for the morning, as he needed to get some rest.

There is no rest for the wicked as the saying goes. It certainly applied to Sarah and Casey. They exchanged their sedan for a van and were sitting in it outside Chuck's place.

"What?" Director Graham boomed. "Are you sure he wasn't already trained in martial arts?"

"He quit kung-fu in the third grade," Casey said, reading from a file on another computer.

"How do you know that?" Sarah asked.

"Please, Walker, give me some credit. I work for the NSA. I know everything there is to know about Bartowski."

"That leaves us with only one possibility," Beckman said. "Larkin must have added the expansion pack to the data."

"What expansion pack?" Sarah and Casey asked in unison.

"What you are about to hear is classified far above and beyond top secret. We are only telling you because it is pertinent to your assignment. General?"

"Thank you, Director Graham. The program Mr. Bartowski has in his head is called the Intersect 2.0. The third and most advanced version of the program, the cornerstone of the Omaha Project."

"I thought that the Omaha Project was a myth."

"No, Agent Walker, it's real. It was preceded by the Intersect 1.0 and the Beta Intersect. There was always the aim of uploading agents with the program, but the system requirements included a capacity for subliminal image retention very few people possess. Otherwise the download can be dangerous or the data can be corrupted during the process. Therefore the use of the Intersect was limited to searching for patterns in the information entered into the computer. Until now. Until Mr. Bartowski."

"Chuck appeared to have no problem with it."

"We'll look into the matter," the General promised. "Anyway, the data in the 2.0 version is more streamlined to facilitate the upload process and recently our scientists completed what can be called an expansion pack, to use computer terms. Its purpose was to give an agent enhanced skills. You two witnessed it work. There is a research team investigating the feasibility of utilizing it as a standalone skills Intersect and see, as far as a person's retention capability is concerned, if it's easier to upload the skills only instead of the full package."

"General, ma'am, this is all very interesting, but you still haven't told us what to do about Bartowski."

"Major Casey, the Intersect was a joint CIA-NSA venture. And it will remain under the auspices of both agencies. We'll contact you again with our decision on the matter." The two directors signed off in order to discuss the implications of what had happened and what they were going to do about it.

"How long do you think we'll have to wait for them to make up their minds?"

"As long as it takes, Walker." Casey then unfolded a reclining beach chair in the spacious interior of the van. "Get some rest. I'll wake you for your shift."

"Thanks." She took her boots off and sank in the chair, throwing a light blanket over her body. She was asleep in minutes. Casey sipped some coffee and alternated between watching the CIA skirt and the Bartowski residence, trying to figure out which of the proposed courses of action would work best. Casey woke her up a couple of hours later for another briefing with their superiors.

"We have reached a decision regarding Mr. Bartowski's status," Graham said. "Given his efficiency in interpreting the intel from his flashes so far and his acquired proficiency in martial arts and quite likely other skills, we have decided to use his services in a hybrid capacity. He will have to be an asset, in which case you will be his handlers. You'll protect him and act upon any intelligence he provides. But he will also have to become an agent. You two will be his mentors and guide him through the process of learning to properly utilize the Intersect 2.0, so make nice. You are partners! Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," they chorused.

"Which brings us to the question of your covers," General Beckman said. "You, Agent Walker, will pose as Mr. Bartowski's girlfriend. Get him to hire you as an employee in his company as well."

"Yes ma'am."

"As for you, Major, we can arrange you to either start a business or get a job close to Mr. Bartowski's company in order to provide surveillance and advance warning."

"Can't I go to work for his company as well?"

"We considered the option, but it will be hard to justify suddenly hiring two new employees and in addition early warning of any danger can spell the difference between success and failure for Operation Bartowski. We will also arrange for you to take up residence in the same apartment complex where Mr. Bartowski lives. As a neighbor you'll have the perfect cover to provide him with the necessary protection. Just make sure to say that he suggested the apartment for you after you two met at work."

"I understand, General."

"Excellent. That will be all for now. You can brief Mr. Bartowski on the new developments when he gets to work."

"General?"

"Yes, Agent Walker?"

"We need to replace his computer and his car. It's the right thing to do, since we are responsible for their destruction and to keep up appearances, especially regarding the car issue."

"Duly noted, Agent Walker. Good thinking. We could add a few custom mods to his new car, too," Graham said.

-o-

After getting some rest, Chuck took a quick shower, had some coffee and went to take the bus for work, since his car had been totaled. As he approached the bus stop someone called out to him.

"Going somewhere, Bartowski?"

"I do have to go to work, Casey. Morgan's all alone there."

"Get in. I'll drive you."

"Okay." He got in the van. "Where is Sarah?" The blonde CIA agent was nowhere to be seen.

"I sent her to get some proper rest. She'll have to baby-sit you for most of the day while I take care of certain things."

"Oh. Well, my office is…"

"I know where it is."

"You do?"

*grunt* (I work for the NSA, Moron.)

-o-

In her hotel room Sarah got ready for bed after a refreshing shower. She sat cross-legged on the bed, and sniffed the flowers Chuck had brought her the night before. Then she got her personal phone out and scrolled through the pictures of her and Bryce taken during their last vacation together, looking at them with tear-filled eyes. Afterwards she curled up in a ball and cried. She cried for Bryce, who had been a good partner, friend and caring, by spy standards, boyfriend. She cried for Chuck, an innocent man who had suddenly been dragged against his will into a world of danger and deception. She cried for herself, as she thought about everything she'd given up to serve the greater good. Soon, she drifted off into sleep.

Her alarm clock woke her up. She checked the time and saw that it was early enough. She could visit Chuck at work to talk, so she quickly got dressed and hopped in her Porsche. During the drive to the office building which housed Orion Games & Software she tried to get her thoughts in order.

-o-

"Sarah, hi! Did you get a good rest?" Chuck said brightly when he saw her at the door.

"Yes, thank you. We need to talk."

"Step into my office. Morgan is out on company business, so we have the place all to ourselves. Can I get you anything?"

"No thanks, I'm fine. Did Casey tell you about our orders?"

"He explained everything. I know it's just a cover, but, frankly, we could use your help in here. Your Harvard degree should come in handy."

"How do you know about that?"

"Casey told me. Morgan loved the idea of having you working with us, by the way."

"Well, I must say that this should become my favorite cover job. The last two had me posing as a food service employee… Chuck? Are you all right?"

"Uh, yeah. I just flashed."

"On what?" She was curious now as to what operation his flash would initiate.

"On you, Sarah."

"What? On me? You flashed on me?" She felt violated and scared. There were things in her file she didn't want anyone to see, ever. Things she wasn't proud of having done. She feared that Chuck would be disgusted by this side of her.

"Actually, I flashed on a part of your file when you mentioned that thing about previous cover jobs. You really were a Wiener Girl? I always loved the uniforms they have." In fact the Intersect had given him information on all the uniforms Sarah had worn while working as a food service employee.

"I only worked at a Wienerlicious for two weeks. _Danke dass sie uns in Wienerlicious besucht haben_," she said in German, reciting the standard line used by employees of the hot dog franchise. They both laughed. "And I burned more food there than all other employees combined. I also had to serve frozen yogurt at an Orange Orange."

"I know. And then there was that other thing at a Hooters, totally hot, by the way. Which job did you like best?"

"It's safe to say I preferred the Double O. My clothes did not smell like sausage and I had no drunken customers trying to cop feels there. Let's get back to business now. Are you comfortable with our cover?"

"No. Please don't take it personally. I'm flattered and honored to have you as my girlfriend. But it's not real and I don't like to pretend."

"It's never easy. But it's necessary. You are the most valuable commodity in the intelligence business now, Chuck. This arrangement is the best to ensure you remain protected at all times."

"I'll have to go along with it, since I don't like the bunker option. But I can take care of myself now, I just have to find out what makes me tick, as Casey phrased it."

"I've been meaning to ask you… How did you flash on martial arts last night?"

"When that guy pointed his gun at you, I found myself wishing I knew how to save you. I wanted to kick his ass real bad. The rest, as they say, is history."

"I'm certainly glad things took that course. Now, what do you want me to do, boss?"

"I'll give you the grand tour. Then we'll see about setting up a proper office for you."

-o-

In the meantime Casey was through with the paperwork for the lease of the apartment across the courtyard from Chuck's and was waiting for the movers, who were in fact an NSA crew. He even ran into Devon, who welcomed him to the apartment complex.

-o-

Fortunately the tasks Chuck had given Morgan kept the latter away from the office for the rest of the day, so Chuck and Sarah could talk freely. For security reasons the CIA didn't send people to help set up Sarah's office, but she picked up the computers and other equipment herself, while she was also granted funding to buy her office furniture. While they were working on remodeling a spare room into a functional office, she and Chuck discussed the details of their cover. They decided to keep it simple by telling people that they had met for the first time in San Francisco and then again in LA. They became a couple and were taking it slow.

"You do realize that sooner or later you'll have to face the Ellie inquisition, right?"

"No disrespect to your sister intended, but I've lied convincingly to seasoned spies when my life was on the line. I think I can hold my own."

"You haven't met Ellie," he said cryptically while fiddling with her computer. Sarah started wondering where she had gotten herself into. For the moment she changed the subject.

"You'll need a cover name. As I said, you are too valuable to be compromised in any way. Your file with the CIA and the NSA absolutely cannot include your real name."

"I have something in mind."

"I'm all ears," she said. He rose from his seat.

"Carmichael, Charles Carmichael," he said in a Sean Connery-like Scottish accent. He then switched back to his normal voice and sat back down. "Simple, dignified…"

"Easy to remember and not far off from your real name. I like it."

"Graduated with honors from Stanford University, runs a hugely successful software company, semi-retired and he's considering entering America's Cup."

"Have you done this before?" She was definitely impressed by the comprehensive background Chuck had come up with for 'Charles Carmichael'.

"Let's just say that Mr. Carmichael and I share a small kinship." He smiled widely and winked at her.

"How's that?"

"When I first entered Stanford it's kind of where I envisioned myself being right now. Except for the sailing part, I don't really know where that came from. Basically, it was a private joke I used to share with Bryce. Of course, I hadn't taken into account the need for a substantial start up capital back then. So, my plans got a little delayed while I was trying to scrape together enough money to launch my business, but they are back on track. At least they were until I got the email with all the government secrets that are now locked in my head, keeping me in a constant state of fear, danger and anxiety."

"I'm sure it won't be that bad," she said placing her hand on his.

"Do you see me complaining?"

"Your hand's a little moist."

"It does that when I'm freaking out."

"Don't worry, Chuck. I'll be with you every step of the way. Eventually, you'll learn how the Intersect works and you'll be able to use it at will and then you won't need Casey and me to protect you."

"I was kinda hoping it'll never come to that."

"Why, what do you mean?"

"Sarah, I may have all these secrets in my head, not to mention the skills, but I'm not a real spy and I never asked for all of this. Someday, hopefully soon, your people will manage to find a way for me to get the Intersect out of my head, so that I can go back to living a normal life. And you will go back to doing what you do best and not have to watch over some computer nerd."

"You still don't get it, do you? Chuck, last night you saved a lot of people. You also saved me and Casey. If anything, I'm proud to be working with Agent Carmichael."

"Agent Carmichael," Chuck echoed. "I like the ring to it."

"Just don't get too cocky. In fact you need to keep a low profile for now. So, when the job necessitates meetings with other agents, we'll be introducing you as an analyst and computer technician."

"Again, that's not too far off from the truth. It should help the cover."

"You're learning fast."

"Thanks. Any news from Casey?"

"Yeah, he called me when you'd gone to the bathroom. He said that he'll open a business across the street."

"Really? What kind of business?"

"He didn't tell me. I only know is that it will be a cover job, for surveillance. Your safety is of the utmost importance, Chuck."

"Thanks, I guess. You didn't tell me, how do you like your new office?"

"It's adequate."

"Is this all you have to say, adequate?"

"It's OK for the job. As Sarah, I can say that I like the way you decorate the company offices, mine included. It makes for a warm and friendly atmosphere."

"Now you're talking."

"I'm starving. In fact I could kill for a cheeseburger."

"No need to resort to such extreme measures. I know a place, not far from here, where they make the best burgers."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Sarah grabbed him by the hand and led him outside, where she paused. "Uh, which way?"

"That way," he said and took the lead. He paused only when he saw a blue Ford Focus parked in front of the building. It was identical to the one destroyed the previous night, right down to the license plates. "Is that my car?"

"It's the replacement for your car. Here, take the keys."

"Thanks." He looked inside and noticed the Autobot insignia hanging from the rear view mirror. He flashed and she noticed.

"Chuck?"

"I'm OK. I just flashed on the special features. The CIA sure went all out on the extras."

"You know how to…?"

"Thanks to the Intersect I do. Come on, our burgers await."

-o-

After lunch - where he learned that she was partial to medium-rare cheeseburgers with extra pickles - and until closing time Chuck showed Sarah the ropes of his business, although technically he didn't have to, as her job there was just a cover, but she insisted that she would have to do some actual work there to ward off any suspicion, especially on Morgan's part. She agreed with his earlier statement that her Harvard degree would help. Plus, the less he had to worry about his day job, the more efficient he would be in the spy business.

Later, the three convened in Casey's new office. It had a direct view to Orion Games and Software as well as the street, making it ideal as an overwatch position. The cover was that of a security consultant, which also made it easy to explain absences. The biggest screen came to life.

"Who are they?" Chuck asked of the two people who appeared.

"Shut up, Moron," Casey whispered.

"Chuck," Sarah said, "meet my boss, CIA Director Graham and Casey's boss, NSA Director General Beckman."

"Sir, ma'am," he said respectfully. "Should I go?"

"He can stay," said Graham. "Mr. Bartowski, we need to verify the extent of the absorption of the Intersect data into your brain."

"Can you also find a way to get it out?"

"We'll see. Right now we'll send one of the scientists who worked on the encoding of the images to examine you."

"He's one of the NSA's best scientists," Beckman added. "His name is Dr. Jonas Zarnow." At the mention of the name, Chuck's eyelids fluttered, his eyes lost focus and rolled upwards into his head.

_A classic car_

_NSA records of employment for Dr. Zarnow_

_A photo of him meeting with an Asian man _

_The record of senior North Korean agent Sung Il Ban_

_Bank transactions_

_A classic car_

"Mr. Bartowski?" Graham and Beckman said together.

"Um, sorry ma'am, I just flashed," Chuck said. "According to the Intersect Dr. Zarnow has been selling US science and technology to North Korea for years."

"Are you sure? This is very serious."

"I'm sure, sir."

"I'll arrange for his arrest immediately," said the General. She disappeared from view for a few minutes and returned with some news. "Congratulations are in order, Mr. Bartowski. You helped plug a dangerous leak. Who knows what damage he would have caused had he gotten wind of the existence of a Human Intersect. You, that is."

For the rest of the meeting the details of the cover assignments for Sarah and Casey were discussed, as well as the need for a secret base that would double as a training facility for Chuck. The latter would take some time to plan and build, so it was agreed that at first Chuck would be limited to analyst duties.

When the teleconference ended, Chuck walked Sarah to her car. He was very impressed when he saw the sleek Porsche.

"Wow, I must be paying you a lot more than I thought."

"Very funny."

"You know I'm a funny guy."

"Kiss me."

"Wha- What?"

"Chuck, we are supposed to be a couple, it's our cover. This should come naturally," she patiently explained.

"Yeah, I understand, but you see, I'm not really that comfortable with PDA."

"We'll take it slow then," she said and just hugged him. "See you tomorrow," she added after giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"See you tomorrow, Sarah." He looked at her departing form longingly, admiring her figure as she got in her car and drove off. She was one hell of a girl and he would gladly give anything to have a chance at a real relationship with her. She had made it clear, however, that any intimacy between them would be for the all important cover. To him the Intersect was both a blessing and a curse. It had given him the chance to see her again and have her in his life on a daily basis, but it would also prevent him from acting on his feelings towards her.

He sighed and went to his new car and drove back to Echo Park. Casey was already there, Chuck could see the lights on in his apartment.

"Ellie, Devon, I'm home," he called as he went to his place.

"Chuckster, how was your day, dude?"

"It was fine, Captain."

"Morgan's here. He's waiting for you in your room."

"Chuck!" Ellie said as she came into the living room.

"Hey sis."

"Dude, you're back!" Morgan said coming up behind Ellie.

"I'm back, little buddy."

"Good. I finished everything you told me to take care of."

"Thanks."

"So, how was Sarah's first day at work?"

"Sarah?" Ellie interrupted. "Are you talking about the same Sarah Chuck went out on a date with yesterday?"

"The same," confirmed Chuck.

"How come Morgan has met her and I have not?" She didn't wait for a smartass answer from either Morgan or her brother. "You must bring her over for dinner. I'm dying to meet her. And I'm so happy for you, little brother! You're finally dating again!" She squealed happily and went to the kitchen to serve dinner.

"Ellie can never understand our bond, brother," Morgan told Chuck.

"I also met our new neighbor," Devon said, handing Chuck and Morgan a beer each.

"Casey moved in already?" Chuck said, feigning surprise.

"You know the guy?"

"Yes, Morgan, he just opened a security consultancy business just across the street from us."

"He looks like a nice enough guy," Devon said. "Doesn't talk much and he tends to be rather uptight, but he's polite and just minds his own business."

"Uh-huh."

"So, when are we gonna meet this new girlfriend of yours?"

"Soon, Captain, soon."

"You can invite her here tomorrow," Ellie said as she was setting the table. "Both Devon and I have the day off from the hospital."

"Ellie, take it easy on her. She just got settled down here. Before I forget; Morgan, we turned the room next to my office into an office for Sarah."

"Noted."

"What is she going to be doing for your company?"

"She's going to be in charge of marketing and public relations."

Across the courtyard Casey was watching the scene inside the Bartowski/Woodcomb residence on the surveillance. Sarah joined him after she entered through the back of the apartment.

"He's doing great, Walker. So far he's kept to the cover story."

"He told me he played Perchik with success at his high school's production of Fiddler on the Roof," she said with a smile.

*grunt* (the Moron should know that preserving a cover is not that easy)

"Cut him some slack, Casey. He'll do fine. I'm going back to my hotel. Call me if anything comes up."

"Roger that."

Sarah left but could not suppress the feeling of longing for a normal life that started growing stronger in her after witnessing the scene inside Chuck's place. But then again she had somehow known from the start that this would be an assignment unlike any other she had ever undertaken.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Yet again, I feel the need to thank all of you for your support. Due to work, the next updates may not be as frequent, but they'll not be long in coming.

As the title says, here's Chuck's first spy mission. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 5 – Stay in the Car**

"Yes, sir, the Orion Universal Document Manager is exactly what its name says, universal. It can open and edit any kind of document… For example it can read all MS Office, Open Office, Adobe Acrobat, Déjà Vu file formats, to name but a few. In addition it has a function for editing all kinds of documents, including those that are by definition not editable… It works by opening those documents in a different temporary format. Then you can implement your changes and save either in their original format or whatever format you want… It also comes with regular updates and is available for the three most common operating systems; Windows, Linux and Mac... How many will you need?" Sarah talked a little longer on the phone and then went to Chuck's office to break the news to him when she finalized the sale.

"Come in," he said when she knocked on his door.

"Do you have a few minutes?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"I just sold copies of the Document Manager to a corporate customer!"

"How many?"

"Let's say that the money will keep us solvent for a few weeks."

"Sarah, you are the best! You've only been working here since yesterday and we're already having an upsurge in business."

"Having an extra hand always helps. You and Morgan were trying hard, but it was too much for two people sometimes. I saw that from the beginning." She suddenly sat on his lap and wrapped her arms around him. "Morgan's coming," she whispered.

"Hey Chuck, Sarah just sent me a sales notice for…" Morgan never finished the phrase as he saw Chuck and Sarah lovingly holding each other. "Sorry! I'll drop by again later." He retreated and closed the door behind him. The moment they were alone, Sarah became all business-like.

"Casey called earlier. He said to meet him at his office. He has files for you to review and see if the Intersect has anything to add."

"And that's all?"

"For the hundredth time, Chuck, you are not ready for field work. You are not yet accustomed to using the Intersect special skills and we don't really know what activates them. So, until you can receive some training, your job is to sit back and flash. Casey and I will take care of the rest."

"OK, fine. May I make one suggestion?"

"Regarding what?"

"The cover. I think we should schedule the dailies to coincide with our lunch break. And we could also receive stuff to review in your office, since your secure connection is to be activated tomorrow."

"Good idea. The fewer comings and goings, the less suspicion we will arouse." She immediately called Casey and told him that they would drop by later, making sure to give Chuck full credit for the idea. The answer was a noncommittal grunt with a side of approval.

"One more thing; Ellie expects you to come to our place for dinner tonight."

"No problem," she said. She still had no idea what was in store for her.

As agreed, Chuck and Sarah went to Casey's office when they took their lunch break. The task was easy: Chuck reviewed the files Graham and Beckman had sent, flashed on some of the contents and the two agents emailed the results he reported to their superiors for further analysis and action. The three also had lunch there and then went back to their cover jobs. The rest of the day passed peacefully. Morgan had already filled the order Sarah had taken and one more satisfied customer was added to the company's growing list.

"See you at seven thirty," Sarah said, standing on tiptoes and brushing her lips on Chuck's. "I'll bring dessert."

"We'll be waiting."

-o-

In her hotel room Sarah took a quick shower. After that she sat by the window, enjoying the view, while wondering what she should buy for dessert. Then a crazy idea popped in her head. She would make dessert _herself_. After all, she was Sarah Walker, the best of the best in the CIA. And this was a challenge she could not resist. Unfortunately, the very small kitchenette in her room did not lend itself to her grandiose scheme. The solution was easy; she drove to the local CIA office and summarily appropriated part of the kitchen that was normally used whenever catering was required. But first she grabbed a cookbook from the building's library. It took her a few tries, but in the end she had an acceptable looking chocolate soufflé. _If it looks good, it tastes good_, she thought. In the process she had made a mess of the kitchen and, despite wearing an apron, herself. She had just enough time to go back to her room and change before heading towards Echo Park.

-o-

"That must be Sarah," Chuck said, hearing the doorbell ring.

"I'll get it," Ellie said hurriedly and ran to answer the door. She yanked it open and came face to face with a beautiful blue eyed blonde. "Hi Sarah!"

"Hi. You are Ellie, right? Chuck's sister?"

"I am. Don't just stand there, come in!" Sarah barely had time to glance inside the apartment before Ellie enveloped her in a crushing hug that almost drove the air from her lungs. "I was dying to meet the girl who managed to get my idiot brother to start dating!"

"I'm happy to meet you too," Sarah squeaked.

"Ellie, let her go, please. She's turning blue," Chuck said.

"Sorry. I guess I got carried away a little."

"No harm done," Sarah said, moving her arms and flexing her torso to make sure she had suffered no lasting damage. "I brought a chocolate soufflé, which I made myself, for dessert."

"Thank you!" Ellie took the package from her and went to deposit it on the kitchen counter. Chuck eyed her with a mix of suspicion and trepidation. She had confessed to being a terrible cook and her claim made him wonder if Ellie and Devon had anything to treat gastrointestinal ailments with on hand. For the moment he slipped quite effortlessly into the role of the loving boyfriend. Looping his arm around Sarah's waist he led her to where the others were assembled.

"Sarah, you already know Morgan and Casey and you just met Ellie. Now, meet Ellie's boyfriend, Devon. Devon Woodcomb, meet Sarah Walker."

Sarah exchanged pleasantries with Devon and made small talk with the others. Chuck's warning about Ellie came again to her mind when she found herself cornered by the brunette who also had her arm around her shoulders and was not letting go while they were having their pre-dinner cocktails. He had been right; she was facing an inquisition. The interrogation was friendly, but Ellie was relentlessly pushing both Chuck and Sarah for information on their relationship and how it was progressing so far. She now regretted her previous cocky comment about having dealt successfully with seasoned spies. Ellie was different, in a league of her own and, as her agent instincts warned her, potentially more dangerous. She was asking a lot of questions, where and how they'd met, their first impressions of each other, if they had become a couple before he'd asked her to work for him and more. And things could get complicated real fast if either of them slipped up on any aspect of their cover story, for Ellie was sure to catch on. Fortunately Chuck and Sarah had carefully rehearsed what they would say and they managed to avoid compromising their cover.

On the plus side, the meal was excellent and she was even more surprised when Ellie mentioned that the mini quiches they enjoyed had been made by Casey, who apparently took this dish very seriously. The conversation was casual and the displays of affection between the faux couple restrained, since everyone else thought that they were taking things slowly.

"Time to see what Sarah made," Ellie announced and went to the kitchen to bring the soufflé. Chuck was half-seriously thinking possible ways to sabotage the serving of dessert. He was overreacting, he knew that, but he was still somewhat apprehensive as to what awaited them if they ate it. The others, completely ignorant of the fact that Sarah couldn't cook worth sour grapes, had no compunction about attacking the soufflé after Ellie had cut it into individual portions. One by one they started expressing their delight at the taste and only then did Chuck sample his piece. He had to admit that it was good and made a mental note to ask her if she really had made it herself. His question was answered a minute later, when Sarah made a face and, with her thumb and forefinger, pulled something from between her closed lips. It was a piece of the wrapping the berries she'd used had come in.

"Sarah? Are you OK?"

"Uh-huh. It seems that in my rush to get everything right this escaped my attention. Just be careful in case there are more in your pieces." She blushed in slight embarrassment.

"Mine was clean," said Casey, swallowing the last of his piece. "And it was an excellent dessert, Ms. Walker, congratulations." The others confirmed that Sarah's happened to be the only piece with paper wrapping inside.

After dinner, as Chuck was walking her to her car he confessed his suspicions about the origin of the soufflé, but these had been put to rest by her mistake. He took her in his arms and kissed her before she could get in the Porsche.

"Just in case Ellie or anyone else is watching," he whispered in her ear. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Chuck." During the drive back to her hotel she felt flushed. Objectively speaking, Chuck was a great kisser and she had liked it, perhaps more than she should have. She'd liked the warm and friendly atmosphere of the dinner, too, also perhaps more than she should have, as her agent instincts warned her.

The following morning she drove to work. She'd been restless for a while last night, having been unable to get the kiss out of her mind for a couple of hours, but now she had her game face back on.

"Good morning Chuck," she said as she graciously accepted a cup of coffee. "Where is Morgan?"

"It's his day off. We are free to do spy stuff without interference."

"OK," she said and headed for her office.

"Casey dropped by," he called after her. "Your connection is active."

"Thanks," she said. She busied herself with various tasks for a couple of hours, sorting through the mail, replying to inquiries and referring some matters to her cover-real boss for further consideration. Being an efficient worker, she had finished with everything by that time, and, with nothing else to do, she kicked off her high heels, rested her feet on the desk and started throwing darts at a board she had put up on one wall the previous day. She would have preferred using her throwing knives, but the ever present risk of someone noticing dissuaded her. She was on the fourth round when her phone rang.

"Walker, secure," she said.

"Casey, secure. The General called. I'm coming over for a briefing. Get the geek to your office." He hung up before Sarah could answer, so she just shrugged and called Chuck on the intercom.

"Chuck, please come to my office, we are going to have a mission briefing."

"Okie-dokie," he replied.

-o-

"Good morning people," General Beckman began. "We have a mission for you. CIA HUMINT reported that a meeting is going to take place during a gala at the Grand Ambassador in LA tonight. One of the participants is this man, Winston Fowler. As his image appeared on a popup window, Chuck flashed.

"He's a very bad guy, one of the most notorious arms dealers with business interests in South America, Africa and the Far East, specializing in high-tech stuff," he summarized. "He's wanted by a lot of intelligence and law enforcement agencies around the world."

"Precisely, Mr. Bartowski. Your job will be to identify Fowler's customer, who will be at the gala. So far we have drawn a blank, so we can safely assume that the information on said customer, if any at all, was in the Intersect."

"So, Casey and I go in either as staff or as a couple," said Sarah and caused an amused snicker from Chuck at picturing the two as a couple, which in turn drew an angry glare from Casey. She continued unfazed. "We'll have miniature cameras and Chuck will be observing from a safe location and inform us if and when he flashes on anyone."

"It would be preferable to split up, Walker. You go in with the geek as guests; I'll go in as staff."

"We can't take Chuck along! He's not ready for this!"

"It will be in a crowded place for fuck's sakes, Walker! He'll be just fine."

"I insist that it's too risky!"

"Can't I have a say in this?" Chuck interrupted.

"NO!" Sarah and Casey yelled in unison at him.

"I had to try," muttered Chuck. Graham and Beckman were enjoying the scene of the two agents arguing and the asset/future agent attempting to add his own two cents' worth. Graham eventually decided to end it and cleared his throat to get his subordinates' attention. Then he nodded at the General.

"All of you certainly make convincing arguments," she said. "But the benefits of having the Intersect on site outweigh the possible risks. Congratulations, Chuck. You just got your first mission. Agent Walker, do you understand your orders?"

"Yes ma'am. For the record, I still disagree with the reasoning behind them, but it will be done as you ordered."

"Very well. You have sufficient time to plan and get ready. Use it well. That will be all." The screen went blank.

"Are you completely out of your mind?" Sarah turned to Casey, seething with anger.

"We got our orders," he said calmly, which only served to infuriate Sarah even more.

"We are taking a huge risk here! What if something happens and he doesn't flash like he did the other day? He'll be helpless!"

"Then don't let him out of your sight. This is a simple recon and tail, not a smash and grab. It should go down just fine, unless either the geek or you find a way to screw it all up, CIA."

"It's Nerd, thank you very much."

"What did you say, Bartowski?"

"I prefer the term Nerd."

"Whatever." He left to go to his office and examine the plans of the hotel.

"Sarah, why did you get so incensed?" Chuck asked.

"Chuck, placing you in a potentially dangerous situation right now is foolish in the extreme. I'm surprised Graham went along with it."

"I'm not worried."

"What did I tell you about getting cocky?"

'Sarah, I've seen you in action. I have absolute confidence in you to keep me out of trouble," he said with conviction. She just looked at him in amazement. His tone implied that he would gladly enter the depths of Hell if he had her with him. Being in the spy world for so long, she had learned never to trust anyone and the absolute faith he had in her shocked her. With that he left her alone with her thoughts. Only he didn't go to his office. He went to Casey's.

"What is it, Bartowski?"

"Um, I was wondering if by any chance they sent you the user manual for the Intersect, if such a thing exists, or if you can give me some hints on how to access the martial arts skills. Did the General tell you anything?"

"Don't worry, you're gonna be fine, nothing's gonna happen to you," Casey said. Assuming you know how to tango," he added casually, almost as an afterthought.

That last comment was enough to get Chuck thinking. He drove home to try on his new CIA-issued tux. Ellie was favorably impressed that he was getting out of his comfort zone and trying new things. She could see what she perceived to be Sarah's positive influence behind all this. Unfortunately she could not help him on the tango issue. Devon, however, who happened to overhear the conversation, informed them that he had been in Buenos Ayres for a semester and had "spent many a night tangoing his way into señoritas' pantalones". Unavoidably, his smug quip earned him a stern look from his girlfriend, who immediately afterwards had to struggle to keep herself from rolling on the floor laughing as Awesome tried to teach the tango to Chuck. Casey was laughing in his place as he watched the scene on the surveillance thinking that Walker should definitely watch the recordings.

They had arranged to meet at Casey's office first, so Chuck first went to Sarah's hotel to pick her up. He was rendered speechless when he saw her. She was breathtaking in a long red bare shouldered dress with a slit on one side and matching high heel ankle-strap sandals. Her hair was in a flowing ponytail and her makeup expertly done. To be frank, red wasn't his color, but he was now willing to reconsider, at least when she was wearing it.

"Hi Chuck," she said.

"Hi," he replied when he regained his ability to speak. "You look gorgeous," he added as he held the door of his car open for her.

"Thank you. You look dashing yourself."

Casey was waiting for them dressed in a chauffeur's uniform, which would later be transformed into a bartender's one. The NSA had arranged for a limo, and thus the couple would arrive at the gala in style.

"I'm impressed," Chuck said as he and Sarah got into the car.

"Get used to it, Bartowski. I hope you can tango by now."

"I did my preparation."

"What's that talk about tango? Is it some sort of code?" Sarah asked. Casey's smile made her realize the truth and started laughing.

"Spy humor, very good," said Chuck.

"OK, Chuck, focus. You are Charles Carmichael…"

"Software magnate and you are my fiancée. We've already been through this. Our job is to find out who Fowler is meeting with and see if the Intersect has anything on him."

"And one of us is to be near you at all times."

At the gala Chuck and Sarah were moving around the place, trying to spot Fowler, when Sarah had to go to the restroom after an old lady tripped and accidentally spilled some of her drink on the blonde agent's red dress. She gave Chuck specific instructions to go to the bar where Casey was.

"Vodka Martini please, barkeep, shaken, not stirred," he told Casey.

*grunt* (You are not James Bond, Moron, not by any stretch of the imagination) but he made Chuck's drink anyway.

"Chuck? Chuck Bartowski? I'm Alan Waterman, from Stanford," a man who was seated near Chuck said suddenly.

"Oh, hello Alan. How are you doing?"

"Fine. I sold my company. The problem is I have too much money to be working and I'm too young to retire. What about you? Are you still at the Buy More?"

"No, that was temporary. I have my own software company now. Perhaps you've heard about it. It's Orion Games & Software."

"I think I have. Here, take my card. I bet I can give you some tips on how to make a lot of money real fast."

"Not by engaging in insider trading or having numbered accounts in the Caymans, I hope," Chuck said testily after flashing on the card and learning about what his Stanford classmate was up to. As expected, Waterman went pale.

"Are you with the SEC?" He said in near panic, snatched his card back and scooted.

"Damn, I enjoyed it," Chuck said. "You should probably inform the SEC and the IRS."

*grunt* (it was fun to watch) "I may do just that."

"I'm back," Sarah said as she joined them at the bar.

"What can I get you?" Casey asked.

"Guys, that's Fowler over there," said Chuck.

"Where?"

"On your nine o'clock, Sarah."

"I see him. But I can't see who's with him."

"You'll have to get there, Walker, both of you."

"The only way is through the dance floor."

"Time to tango, Bartowski," Casey said and winked at him.

"Sarah, can I have this dance?" Chuck asked. He sounded confident, but inside he was desperately trying to remember the moves Devon had taught him. And, out of the blue, he flashed. Suddenly, he knew how to dance like a pro.

"Chuck? Are you OK?"

"It seems I needn't ask Awesome to teach me the tango. It's in the Intersect. Let's go."

They were absolutely dominating the dance floor as they tangoed their way close to Fowler's table. Sarah was definitely impressed and her game face belied the butterflies going amuck in her stomach at Chuck's gentle but sure grip on her, which was stirring new feelings in her body and the very depths of her soul. Most eyes were on them. They finished the dance with him leaning forward, supporting her with an arm under her waist as she arched her back, her hair falling almost to the floor. He stole a quick look at their marks and flashed, turning his head to conceal the obvious signs of the intel recall. She felt him tense and tighten his grip on her so as not to drop her by accident.

"Chuck, did you flash?" Sarah whispered urgently after he lifted her upright.

"I did. The customer is one David Steele, self-proclaimed prophet and leader of an obscure doomsday cult which has an armed branch."

"Casey, did you get all this?"

"I did, Walker. Get out of there."

"We're coming your way."

At the bar the three discussed the implications of a lunatic like Steele buying weapons from a dealer like Fowler. He could very well be trying to bring about some sort of doomsday. Casey reported it and the orders he received were clear. Tail the marks and obtain information on the transaction. The limousine was too conspicuous, but they had a Suburban waiting for them in the parking lot, so when Fowler and Steele left the gala, Chuck, Sarah and Casey ran to the SUV and got in. Casey drove with Chuck riding shotgun and Sarah was in the back seat changing from her conspicuous red dress into black mission gear. As Chuck was fumbling with his seatbelt he got a glimpse of her perfect body in the rear view mirror while she was almost naked, having just gotten out of the dress and about to slip her pants on. He gulped and averted his eyes, feeling that he had somehow disrespected her, even unwittingly. Casey was too focused on driving to notice and Sarah wasn't looking anyway.

"They're stopping in front of a warehouse," Casey said. He parked the Chevy at a safe distance from the marks and all three peered at the warehouse through field glasses.

"They are going inside," said Sarah.

"How much money do you think Steele has in that briefcase of his?"

"A lot, Bartowski. Whatever he's buying, it ain't cheap."

"We need to find out exactly what it is and we need to do it now. Casey, call for backup. I'm going on a recon."

"You can't go in there all alone!" Chuck protested.

"He's right. Walker, I'm coming with you. I don't want to miss any gunplay in case we have to keep them busy before our backup gets here."

"You two against at least ten? It's suicide!" Chuck persisted.

"Not if they don't know we're there. Chuck, you stay in the car!"

"At the first sign of trouble start the engine and go home, got it, Moron?"

"I can't leave you guys here!"

"You heard Casey, Chuck. Do as he said," Sarah commanded. "Let's go, Casey."

-o-

"My first stakeout and I did not come prepared, even in the tunes department. I really need to make a stakeout mix for my iPod, or a CD, or both," mused Chuck as he watched the premises from the driver's seat of the Suburban. Casually checking his watch, he noted that the promised backup needed less than five minutes to arrive on site. Suddenly, he saw a commotion at the warehouse entrance. The people outside were rushing in, guns at the ready. The staccato sound of gunfire reached his ears. "Listen to Sarah and Casey, stay in the car," he repeated to himself.

His internal debate on whether he should follow his orders or not was still raging when he noticed three men sneaking out a side exit carrying a heavy box-like container. He focused his field glasses on it and flashed. Even without the Intersect, however, there was no mistaking the biohazard sign on the container. Whatever was in it, it was bad, very bad. He watched as they loaded it in a small van and sped off without lights.

"Oh crap! I gotta do something. Sorry, Sarah." He turned the engine on and activated the flashing lights and the siren. Since the bad guys had obviously no intention of stopping, he rammed the Mitsubishi near the driver's door, sending it careening into a concrete wall. He flashed on martial arts and jumped from the SUV as Steele and his two henchmen staggered dazed out of their wrecked vehicle.

As one of them attempted to draw a gun, Chuck disarmed him with a swift kick. A knee to the solar plexus and an elbow to the back between the shoulder blades later, his opponent was down. Another man came at him swinging a metal pipe. Chuck easily ducked it and rabbit-punched him in the kidney. Avoiding another swing of the pipe, he threw an uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw, followed by a spin kick to the chest which sent the man flying backwards and slamming into the wall and collapsing to the ground in a heap.

Steele had decided that discretion was the better part of valor and was running away, taking advantage of the diversion his men had provided.

"Stop!" Chuck yelled and took off after him. Steele was in shape and already had a lead, so Chuck had to think fast, before he lost his mark in the dark alleys of the area. He cursed the fact that he neglected to take the gun he'd seen Casey stash in the glove box of the Chevy. Not that he wanted to shoot anyone, but he would at least have been able to fire warning shots.

At the warehouse the tactical team had finally arrived and took over from Casey and Sarah. The two agents conferred with the team leader briefly, telling him to go over the area with a fine toothed comb to find Steele, who was nowhere to be seen and then went to find their asset.

"Casey, the car's not where we left it!" Sarah said.

"There!"

"Let's go!" They ran to the Suburban and saw the crumpled Mitsubishi as well. Sarah checked inside both vehicles and saw the weapon container in the second one.

"The Moron's not here."

"Casey, we need to find him!" She had started to get really worried about Chuck. She motioned to some fellow agents to take the two men Chuck had neutralized in custody. Casey was looking around for clues as to Chuck's whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Chuck was still doggedly running after Steele, slowly closing the distance between them and mentally thanking Awesome for helping him out with a workout routine. He grabbed a coil of rope that was lying about and, with some help from the Intersect, made a lasso and threw it at Steele. His aim was perfect and when the loop landed around Steele's body Chuck braked to a halt and gave the rope a mighty tug. The man on the other end lost his footing and fell heavily on the asphalt. Before he could recover, Chuck was on to him, clocked him on the jaw and tied him securely with the rope. Then he led him back to the warehouse, where he turned him over to the backup agents. Sarah ran to him, ignored his offer of a high-five, grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to a quiet corner where Casey was waiting.

"What part of 'stay in the car' did you not understand?" Sarah seethed.

"What you did was incredibly stupid, but somehow it worked," Casey added.

"Guys, technically I was staying in the car! I only got out in order to take care of Steele and his cronies, who were dazed after the crash and that only after I flashed on kung fu, I might add. Otherwise I would have just driven off and be pleased with just having recovered the bio-weapon."

"He did a good job, Walker. That's what we want him to be able to do eventually."

"You shouldn't be praising him! He pulled a stupid stunt and we are lucky the results turned out to be so good!"

"Sarah…"

"Chuck, until you learn how to access and handle your new skills properly, you shouldn't expose yourself to unnecessary risks, unless you want to be stuck in a bunker for your safety! Do you know how worried we were?"

"Do you want me to say I'm sorry? I won't! I knew the risk and accepted it. The Intersect worked and we got the job done! So, instead of yelling at me, you should take a minute and think about what we, as a team, accomplished here today!"

"Ignoring orders is not exactly teamwork."

"I had to improvise, as you didn't see fit to give me a means of contacting you, like a radio or something. And I just couldn't let Steele escape, not with whatever nightmare is in that box." To say the last part, Chuck had lowered his voice. He was hoping that he could get Sarah to see the reasoning behind his actions and yelling certainly wouldn't help. It worked. Her expression softened as she processed his statement in her mind. After thinking it over, she finally nodded.

"You are right, Chuck. Sorry I yelled at you like that."

"It's OK. You were worried, I understand that."

"Time to go," Casey said, as a HAZMAT crew picked up the bio-weapon. "We need to report to our bosses."

The debriefing took place at Casey's apartment. Both Graham and Beckman were extremely satisfied with the results, even though at first they did not like that Chuck had gone off on his own after a suspect. But, as they acknowledged, he had done the right thing and done it well. The details of his flashes and the way they occurred were also a subject that interested them. What Chuck told them essentially confirmed the information they already had from the scientists working on the Intersect project. The three answered a few more questions before the teleconference ended. Sarah picked up her bag containing her dress and high heels and turned to leave.

"I'll just take a cab to my hotel," she said.

"If you wait for a few minutes, I'll drive you and then take Bartowski to get his car."

"Thanks."

"You may also want to see this," Casey added.

"See what?"

Casey smirked and played the surveillance video of Awesome teaching the tango to Chuck with Ellie watching. Sarah couldn't help but laugh. Chuck on the other hand was not so amused.

"You planted cameras in my place?"

"Cameras, bugs, alarms, the whole enchilada. You are the Intersect, idiot. Keeping you protected means that your privacy has to take a back seat."

"I thought it was funny," Sarah offered.

"You are not the one whose life is being monitored 24/7."

"Come on, Chuck. It's for your own safety. And it keeps Ellie and Devon safe as well."

"Okay," he said hesitantly. "I can understand that."

"Cheer up; you did very well on your first mission."

-o-

"See you at work tomorrow, guys," she told Chuck and Casey when they dropped her off at her hotel.

"Goodnight Walker."

"See you tomorrow, Sarah. Sweet dreams."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Before I start, I'd like to once again say that you are all Awesome. You know why. *wink*

As for the chapter: Here comes the pain! Lots of it, in fact I may have gone a bit overboard with it, but I was kind of experimenting here.

* * *

**Chapter 6 –**** The Dark Side of Spying**

"Sarah, can you please come to my office?" Chuck asked over the intercom.

"I'll be right there." She was curious as to what he needed her for. She quickly finished typing a reply to a request for information on one of their products and sent it before heading for his office next door. "You wanted to see me, Chuck?"

"Yes," he replied smiling. "Take a seat."

"Thank you." She sat down and crossed her magnificent mile-long legs that the short tight skirt of her business suit showed off to advantage.

"Ms. Walker, I'm happy to present you with…" he paused for effect and produced and envelope from behind his back with a flourish. "Your first paycheck! You've earned every cent."

"I suppose I should thank you, but allow me to remind you that this is just a cover job for me. You don't have to pay me. I'm already getting paid by the CIA, remember?"

"The CIA pays you to do an entirely different job. But you work real hard here and you are very good at it, too. So, I would be remiss if I didn't pay you. As I said, you've earned it."

"What can I say?"

"You can also accept these as a token of my appreciation, as well as an invitation to go out with me later for a dinner and movie night." He held up a bunch of gardenias and handed it to her.

"Gardenias, they are my favorite flowers, thank you! Nice way to ask me out on a cover date," Sarah said enthusiastically, but immediately became suspicious. "How did you know?"

"I'm not an entirely incompetent spy, Sarah. And before you ask for specifics, no, I did not flash on your file. If that happens again, you'll be the first to know. But you have my word; I'll never try to access your file on purpose. I won't willingly violate your privacy."

"I appreciate it, Chuck. Thank you," she said honestly. Other men in Chuck's situation wouldn't hesitate for a moment to take a peek into her secrets and get to know everything about her, but he was too much of a gentleman to do such a thing. He respected her as a person and as an agent and she was grateful for it. He was going out of his way to make the assignment as easy and comfortable as possible for her. He'd even comforted her after Bryce's funeral. "But you still didn't answer my question," she added.

"Every time I've been in your hotel room I noticed that you have a vase full of gardenias, so I concluded that you like them."

"You nailed it. Good job, Agent Carmichael."

"Thank you, Agent Walker," he said. He really liked learning things about her just by spending time with her.

"Now, I have a surprise for you. Can you come with me?"

"Sure. Just give me a moment to let Morgan know that we're going out."

"OK."

"Buddy, can you hold the fort here?" Chuck asked his best friend over the intercom. "Sarah and I are taking a break."

"No problem, amigo," came the jovial reply.

"Let's go," he told Sarah.

She led him to Casey's office across the street and used her key to open the door. Casey was not in there, but before he could ask her about it she took him to the back room and pulled aside a huge filing cabinet, revealing a hidden door with a security pad. She underwent a retinal scan and typed her access code. The door silently slid open.

"All this to protect his… I don't know what?"

Instead of replying she started going down a flight of stairs leading to the basement.

"Welcome to Castle," she finally said.

"What the… Hell-O," he muttered, taking in the underground installation filled with computers, security systems, weapons and various other spy paraphernalia. "This is new. What is this place?"

"The CIA finally decided to spring for new digs. Finally a first rate operation," Casey said, coming out of a side room, obviously satisfied with the setup.

"This is our new base. You will also train with us here."

"Impressive. Looks expensive, too."

"Yes, no expense was spared creating it. I'll give you the grand tour later. Soon there will be a tunnel leading to your company, too. A construction crew will be coming to work on that over the weekend."

"What if Morgan finds out?"

"I wouldn't worry about that. It will have secure access just like the door we came in through."

"If you say so. Um, do I have any files to review?"

"Over there, Bartowski," Casey said and jerked his thumb towards the main room.

"I'm on it." He strode confidently inside and had a nerdgasm when he saw the mainframe computer. It was a nerd's wet dream, indeed. He couldn't wait to exploit its capabilities. "Oh, wow," he said in awe, "I can't believe I'm this close to an actual DU-97; Freon-cooled, reconfigurable 30-teraflop architecture with modules for cryptanalysis and video processing… She's so beautiful." The moment didn't last, however, as Casey abruptly yanked him back to reality.

"Don't short-circuit it by drooling all over the unit, Moron. You've got work to do, get started, unless you want me to pry you off of it with a crowbar."

"This isn't over, I'll be back," Chuck told the computer, gave it a final caress with his fingers and moved to a desk to get on with the most mundane task imaginable for the Human Intersect. With no missions for over a week he had been able to regularly go over intel, so he didn't have a backlog to clear. He was finished with the files in a little over thirty minutes.

"Done," he called.

"Where are your notes?" Casey asked, coming out of the armory.

"Didn't take any," Chuck replied nonchalantly.

"How am I supposed to forward the results, dumbass?"

"Hey, no need for insults, I got it all in here," he said and held up a digital MP3 recorder. "Here, catch!" He tossed it to Casey, who deftly caught it.

"Good job," he said, taking back his earlier statement and went to call Graham and Beckman and give them Chuck's findings.

In the meantime Sarah had ordered lunch for the three of them from a nearby restaurant. The main room had a large conference table and they sat at it to eat. After cleaning up, Casey went upstairs to his office while Chuck and Sarah returned to Orion Games & Software. The rest of the day passed quietly, with only one call from Graham, who had an urgent file for Chuck to review. At closing time Chuck sent Sarah and Morgan home and locked up. He first confirmed that he would pick her up from her place at eight as planned.

At eight o'clock sharp Sarah threw open her door to find Chuck standing there, hand poised to knock. She looked at him up and down and liked what she saw. He was dressed in a button down shirt and dark jeans, while she wore a blue top with little buttons over her jeans. The whole outfit matched her baby blue eyes very well, as Chuck noticed.

"You look amazing," he said.

"You look great yourself," she returned the compliment.

"Shall we?" He offered her his arm.

"By all means," she said and took his arm. He led her to his car and drove off. Despite her constant pestering he refused to tell her where he was taking them. All she got out of him was that it was going to be a surprise. Normally, she didn't like surprises, but this time she was curious and eager to see what it was. She was not disappointed.

As it turned out, the first stop was at a nice little colonial style restaurant. The soft lighting and informal setting was relaxing and the food was excellent. He'd ordered for both of them and she didn't even consider it a power move and nodded to indicate her approval of his choices. He'd obviously dined there before and he knew what to get. The wine complemented the courses very well, although Chuck didn't drink more than one glass, as he was driving. The apple pie they had for dessert was delicious. She found herself having a great time and realized that she'd come very close to forgetting that she was actually on a mission. It was the first time this had ever happened to her. After he took care of the check they went to see a movie. He got them both some popcorn and soft drinks and then they settled down in their seats. The movie was very funny and they were laughing during most of it.

When he drove her home, he insisted on escorting her up to her room 'because it was the right thing to do', as he told her.

"I had a great time tonight, Chuck," she said and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

"There is nothing wrong with having a good time, even when on a mission, Sarah. I'm happy I could give that to you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Chuck."

-o-

On the days that followed they established a new routine; in the morning they would go to work, being just as affectionate in front of Morgan and other people that worked in the building as their cover necessitated. He'd do the daily intelligence review either in her office or downstairs in Castle and then they would have lunch together. After closing time she would take him again to Castle for his training sessions. She wanted to teach him skills that he could use both with and without the Intersect 2.0 on.

-o-

One afternoon Sarah descended the stairs to Castle to take over Chuck's training from Casey as scheduled for the day.

"Hey guys," she said when she saw them in the main room, "how did firearms training go?"

*grunt* (See for yourself) Casey's thumb was pointing at the shooting gallery.

"I think it went well," Chuck said, obviously satisfied with his performance. For the moment Sarah could not figure why Casey had given him an angry look. She went to the shooting gallery and took a close look at the targets. The bullseye targets each had a neat grouping of shots dead center, which was really impressive for a beginner, until she remembered that said beginner also had the advantage provided by the Intersect. The human outline targets told a strange story. There were no head shots or center mass shots in them. Instead, they had been hit in the arms and legs. She stepped out of the indoor firing range.

"Casey?"

"You saw it? Well, the Moron can shoot, both with and without the Intersect."

"Thousands of hours of video games like Duck Hunt paid off."

"Shut up, Bartowski. The thing is, he freaked out when I put up the second set of targets."

"Hey! I don't like shooting at people!"

"Not even when they are shooting at you?"

"Let me rephrase that. I don't want to kill anyone."

"Okay boys. That's enough. Chuck, go warm up. We'll continue with your martial arts training in a few minutes," she said. Obediently Chuck went to the locker room to change into a T-shirt and sweatpants and then on to the dojo. He had just completed his warm-up exercises when she entered and he caught his breath when he saw her clad in a sports bra and loose fitting pants. For a moment he could not avert his eyes from her smooth, perfectly toned body.

"This time, instead of the punching bag and the dummy, I will be your opponent, Chuck," she said. "Ready?"

"Uh, Sarah, are you sure?"

"Of course I am. I need to train you properly." She tossed him a bo staff and picked one up for herself. They took up position on the mats and faced each other. Sarah smiled and then they began sparring. Chuck tried to block her swings and thrusts, quite unsuccessfully.

"Come on, flash!" Sarah told him.

"I can't."

"A real agent would have flashed on the bo. Come on, Chuck, flash! Show me your attack skills!" She kept up her attacks as she spoke, stopping every time before the staff connected with Chuck.

"No." He lowered his staff.

"Why not?"

"I don't want to hurt you, Sarah."

"Don't worry," she said with a smug smile and swept his legs from under him, sending him landing on the mats. "You can't." She helped him up. "Shall we continue?"

"Fine." He concentrated and flashed. "Ready," he said. They started sparring again and this time Sarah could not find an opening in his defense, which was just that: a defense. He wasn't attacking, just fending off her blows. She fought harder, trying to goad him into taking the offensive. After a couple of minutes it worked. He lashed out with a combination of moves Sarah could put up no defense against. She fell on the mats with a yelp, landing hard on her left side, arm and wrist, crying out from the painful impact. She rolled on her back, clutching her left wrist, grimacing and groaning from the pain. Chuck tossed his staff aside and knelt beside her.

"Sarah? Oh crap! Are you OK?"

"I'm fine," she said through clenched teeth. "You did great."

"No, I didn't. I hurt you. I'm so sorry." He helped her up. "You need to get that looked at. Come on, I'll take you to the hospital."

"Chuck, there is no need."

"Yes, there is. You have to get it X-rayed."

"Fine. I'll go change. Wait here."

Unfortunately for them both, one of the doctors on ER duty was Ellie. And when she saw them come in, with Sarah nursing her wrist, she immediately took over.

"What is this, Sarah?" Ellie asked later, slamming an X-ray picture on the table.

"What do you mean?"

"The good news is that your wrist is fine. It's just a mild sprain, so you'll have to go easy on it for a couple of days. But here I'm seeing traces of quite a few remodeled microfractures. Care to explain how they happened and who did this to you, more specifically?"

"Kick boxing; I had taken up kick boxing when I was living in DC. I was really good at it, too. I think I'll pick up from where I left off, if I can tear myself away from your brother."

"I see." Ellie completely believed the explanation and smiled warmly. What she didn't know was that only a small percentage of the remodeled damage had happened in training. The rest had come from fights with bad guys. Later, Chuck took her back to her hotel. He was feeling guilty for hurting her.

"I'm sorry," he began to apologize for the hundredth time.

"Chuck, you don't have to apologize. If anything, I had it coming. I even provoked you, remember?"

"I never intended to hurt you."

"I know. Thanks for everything. I'll see you again tomorrow."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

"It's just a sprain. Go get some rest."

"OK. See you tomorrow. Remember what Ellie told you. Take your pills and-"

"And put ice on it, I got it."

"Just making sure. Bye!"

-o-

At work the following day, after Morgan had taken his lunch break, Sarah went into his office.

"We need to talk, Chuck."

"About yesterday? I promise, I'll be more careful if you do the same."

"It's not about that. It's about our cover. We are supposed to be a couple for a while now, but we need to do more to sell it. The taking it slow excuse is getting old. We need to make love."

"What?" Chuck spluttered as he choked on his coffee.

"Pretend," she explained. "I'll just come to your place for a sleepover. We'll just spend the night together and Ellie and Awesome will think that we… you know."

"Got it. You just took me by surprise at first, as you always said that a real relationship between us would be unprofessional and then you drop that bomb…"

-o-

That night, as agreed, Sarah went over to Chuck's. Ellie let her in and she went straight to her cover boyfriend's room, where he was getting ready for bed. Some candles were strategically placed around the room and romantic music was coming out of the sound system.

"Hi," she said.

"Hey, welcome to my private retreat, or what used to be my private retreat before Casey loaded it with bugs and cameras." They both laughed.

"So, which side of the bed do you usually sleep in?"

"All over it; just pick your side."

"OK." She took the side closest to the door. "What's with the music and the candles, Chuck? What are you expecting to happen here tonight?"

"Nothing, you already made that clear. I was trying to be convincing, you know, for the cover, but if you insist I'll lose the music. Do you want to go to the bathroom and change?"

"That won't be necessary." She took her belted overcoat off, revealing extremely sexy purple lingerie worn under a matching and very skimpy transparent negligee.

"You give me crap for lighting some candles and you come in here wearing that?"

"What? It's part of my cover," she said as she got in bed.

"Well, it doesn't cover a thing."

"I'm wearing what a girlfriend would wear to seduce her boyfriend. I'm just being professional."

"Yeah, the world's oldest profession," he said acidly.

"Oh, that's really nice, Chuck," she said angrily "What's the matter with you tonight, anyway?" She got no answer and then switched her nightstand light off and turned on her side, so that he wouldn't see how much his comment had hurt her. She managed to conceal the pain that radiated from her heart to her beautiful face, but couldn't stop a single tear from rolling down her cheek, or the single sob that escaped from between her tightly closed lips. He heard it and was immediately concerned.

"Sarah?" He laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Leave me alone!" She jerked away from him. His smartass comment had touched, or rather hit very hard, a sensitive spot with her. As an agent, and a beautiful one at that, she'd often had to seduce men on missions and was even expected sleep with them if necessary, which had happened once or twice. She only did it because she was a good agent and wanted to complete her missions, but she never liked it. In fact, she felt dirty every time she did it and she was hoping that at least with Chuck it would be different. He had no idea how much he had hurt her by, even jokingly, comparing her to a prostitute. Her anguished thoughts kept her awake long after she thought he had drifted off to sleep. In reality, he too was awake, thinking about why she'd been so offended. He was still trying to figure it out when he fell asleep.

When the alarm clock woke them up, she silently took some things from her overnight bag and went to take a shower. During breakfast they both acted normal so as not to compromise the ever important cover. But at work she locked herself in her office and, the few times she came out, she acted cold and remote. Fortunately he was only scheduled to train with Casey in the afternoon. The latter mentioned obviously had some idea about what had happened, since he was in charge of the surveillance system, but wisely kept quiet. They had just begun the lesson when the General and Graham called them for an urgent mission.

"Agents, Mr. Bartowski, we have received information that a financier for a number of international drug cartels is in Los Angeles for today. His name is Fulgencio Manuel Cardenas," Graham said and Chuck promptly flashed.

"Sir, he's a lot more than that. He's also a financier for some terrorist groups, like the FARC and the Sendero Luminoso as well."

"Then your mission has even higher priority," said the General. "You are to acquire a copy of his files, which he keeps in a laptop computer, by any means necessary. This way we can have a full picture of his contacts and clients and also freeze their bank accounts."

"The briefing file has already been sent to you. Good hunting," Graham added and signed off.

Chuck, Sarah and Casey gathered around a computer to read it.

"He's a fan of the good life. Well, if he can afford it…" said Chuck.

"That will be his downfall. He will be at the Grand Saville tonight. Walker, we must find a way to keep him busy, so that we can sneak into his suite and hack his computer."

"What do you suggest, Casey?"

"According to his file, he's a notorious womanizer. A honey trap should do the trick. Are you up to it?"

"Let's do it," Sarah said with a coldness that shocked Chuck. "You and Chuck will go in as staff or guests?"

"Guests," answered Casey. "We'll be businessmen having an informal meeting in the lounge."

"I'll have to go home and get my suit."

"You can pick one from the wardrobe here," Sarah said, her voice still flat and emotionless.

Before long the three were in a fully equipped surveillance van. Chuck and Casey were wearing business suits, while Sarah was breathtaking in a dark sea blue sequined one piece dress, which ended above mid-thigh and also showed quite a lot of cleavage. Chuck had skillfully tapped into the hotel's security system and they had a full view of the hallway outside the mark's suite.

"He's leaving his room. Time to roll," Casey said. They entered the lounge separately and took up positions. Chuck and Casey took a small table and appeared to be discussing business plans, while Sarah took a seat at the bar and ordered a large drink. She had built up a tolerance for alcohol over time, so it would only make her more convincing.

Sure enough, the moment Cardenas spotted her at the bar, he approached her.

"A beautiful señorita like you should not be sorry that some cabrón didn't know what treasure he had. I suppose you are trying to forget a man, right?"

"Right," she said with a wan smile. Cardenas turned on the charm full blast and before long she was laughing with him. Chuck thought that her performance was worthy of an Academy Award, even though he knew she didn't like what she was doing one little bit. He had seen it in her eyes during the planning for the mission. She pretended not to mind when he started getting handsy. Instead, she surreptitiously indicated to Chuck and Casey that the coast was clear. They got up and headed to Cardenas' suite. Using a nifty little gadget, Casey created a keycard for them. They entered carefully and found the place empty. Chuck's computer skills working in harmony with the Intersect made short work of the encryption of the laptop and soon they had what they had come for. All the while, they could hear Sarah flirting shamelessly with the mark through their earpieces.

"Walker, we're done here. Ditch him," Casey told her. Sarah would gladly ditch him now that he was of no further use to them. She made an excuse about having had too much to drink and not feeling very well, in fact she even looked a little ill, and left.

-o-

"Excellent work, team," Beckman said during the debriefing. "Now we can convince señor Cardenas to reveal everything he knows about his clients, or we leave him at their mercy. I don't think they'll be too happy when they find their accounts frozen."

Their superiors asked some more questions about the Intersect and its contribution to the successful mission. When the debriefing ended, Sarah bolted from Castle and went straight to her car.

"Sarah," Chuck said and started after her, but Casey's hand on his arm stopped him.

"Give her some space right now, Chuck," he said.

"Do you know what's wrong with her?"

"I think I have an idea."

"Tell me."

"She'll get over it," Casey said cryptically and turned to work on his report.

-o-

Sarah raced to her hotel and ran to the sanctuary of her room. Throwing her dress and underwear off, she went to the shower and turned the hot water on. She stood under the scalding stream leaning against the tiled wall, resting her forehead and forearms on it, eyes screwed shut. She banged her clenched fists on the tiles in frustration. She used the body wash twice, scrubbing her skin raw, trying to get the figurative filth the mark's touch had deposited on her off. After she rinsed off for the second time, she sank to her knees and crawled to a corner of the stall, where she curled up in a ball and cried, the tears mixing with the water still coming out of the shower head. She hated whoring herself out for the job and feared the opinion Chuck must have formed about her by now. In addition, as a handler she had committed a cardinal sin and had showed weakness in front of her asset, not once, but twice, all in the space of less than twenty-four hours. That had never happened to her before. Why did she care so much about what the asset (and potential future agent) thought of her? After what seemed like an eternity, she got to her feet, toweled herself dry, put on clean clothes and went to bed for another restless night.

Chuck was once again trying to find the reason behind Sarah's behavior. He had promised her that he would never access her file willingly and he was a man of his word. There was one thing he could do. He concentrated and flashed on the operational procedure directives for agents. He was shaken to the core when he reached the 'Infiltration and Inducement of Enemy Personnel' section. Some of the things female agents were expected to be able to do were nothing short of actual prostitution. "Oh crap," he muttered.

In the morning a persistent knocking on her door woke Sarah up. She pulled a dressing gown on, palmed a knife and checked through the peephole.

"What is it, Chuck? Did we get a mission?" She looked terrible. Her eyes were red from crying, her hair was tangled and the pallor of her cheeks hinted at her lack of sleep.

"No," he said quietly. "May I come in?"

"Come on in," she said. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, thanks. But I can give you something."

"What?"

"A well deserved apology, Sarah. I may not know much about being an agent, but I sure know it's not like we see in the movies. I know the sacrifices agents like you have to make. I flashed on the operational procedure directives. Sarah, nobody should be forced to do such things, maybe not even for the greater good. I see now why my joke hurt you so much when you were just doing your job and for that I'm truly sorry. Can you please forgive me?"

"I… yes… no. You don't have anything to apologize for, Chuck. You didn't know."

"But I still hurt you and I feel terrible about it. So, if there is anything, and I mean anything, I can do…"

She smiled. It was a thin smile, but it was her first true smile in over a day. "I screwed up, too. I was weak and-"

"Sarah, stop. You may be a super spy, but you are still human and humans have feelings. I won't think any less of you just because you showed emotion. Now, get ready for work. I'll go buy us some breakfast. Coffee and chocolate croissants sound good?"

"Sounds great."

"Be right back."

They enjoyed their breakfast and then they went to get their cars from the parking lot arm in arm, like the couple they were supposed to be. Today was a new day. A good day.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Time for a new chapter. As I was writing it, I realized that it was becoming too long, so instead of ruthlessly slashing it down to size, I decided to split it in two. This is the first installment.

* * *

**Chapter 7 – The Prodigal Spy**** (Part One)**

The scene inside Casa Bartowski/Woodcomb was one of relaxation and fun. Chuck was especially glad that he could give Sarah a good time. In his mind she deserved it for all her hard work both as a spy and as his employee and also to make it up to her for hurting her twice a few days ago, physically and emotionally. Now, he carefully watched her as she was cuddled with him on the couch, playing a game of 'Know Ya!' with Devon, Ellie and Morgan. The latter was unbeatable on all things Bartowski, given that he had known the family for over twenty years. They still got good laughs playing the game. Chuck was also carefully watching his cover girlfriend, like always, and entered every new piece of information about her in a partitioned section of his brain that was not taken up by the Intersect or anything else. It was dedicated exclusively to all things Sarah Walker. The latest entry concerned her culinary preferences: she liked the veggie pizza, but with no olives. She was even picking them off her slices.

Chuck wondered what Sarah would come up with for the 'most dangerous situation ever' question. He leaned in close to her.

"You know, I can find out, but only if you give me your permission," he whispered in her ear.

"Permission denied," she whispered back. "You can't tell the truth in front of the others, even if I gave you a different answer."

"OK." Aloud, he theorized that the most dangerous situation Sarah had ever found herself in was changing a tire on the side of the freeway.

"Not even close," she said.

"What then?" Ellie asked. Sarah held up her whiteboard. She had written '_Sunburn, Ouch!_' on it.

"Sunburn?" Chuck asked, clearly surprised.

"You don't believe me? I was nine, on a family vacation and my older sister and I used baby oil instead of sunscreen."

"Ouch," Ellie said. "That must have hurt."

"You have no idea. My sister and I looked like two blonde little lobsters and Dad was frantic. Our vacation was pretty much ruined for a few days. I still remember how painful it was," Sarah said and shuddered. Instinctively, Chuck wrapped her in his arms.

"I'll keep that in mind, sweetheart. When we go on vacation, I promise to be extra careful not to have a repeat of that incident."

"Don't worry, Chuck. I learned my lesson back then." She then kissed him lightly on the lips.

Despite appearing relaxed, Sarah was worried. Her spydey sense, as Chuck called it, was telling her that something was not right and it was definitely not just the olives on the pizza. She kept looking around, trying to find what had triggered the alarms in her head, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"That was fun," Devon said when the game ended. "Although I do find it strange that Morgan knows more about Ellie than I do."

"I'll repeat yet again that I've known Ellie and Chuck since I was six years old, Captain."

"And Devon knows things about me that you don't, so you're even," Ellie said.

"Ha-ha, she got you there, little buddy."

"I don't get it," Sarah said.

"Ellie's referring to the long time crush I had on her," explained Morgan.

"Oh." Sarah had to suppress a smile as she tried to imagine Ellie and Morgan as a couple. Chuck had no such inhibitions and laughed heartily.

"Come on, Sarah," he said, "I'll drive you to your place."

"You didn't take your Porsche?" Morgan asked.

"It's in the shop."

"What did you do to it?"

"Actually, buddy, Sarah is the best driver I've ever known in my life," Chuck said. "She took it to the dealership for its routine servicing."

"Since I'm such a good driver," she said seductively as they went out to the courtyard, "will you let me drive?"

"Will you ever let me drive your Porsche?"

"Never," she said smiling. She had never let anyone else drive her favorite toy. She had formed an attachment to the sleek sports car almost exactly as a man would have.

"Well, I don't want you to wreck my new car like you did with the old one, so I'll drive."

"That was Casey's fault," she pouted.

"Your driving resulted in some damage before Casey's SUV turned it into a heap of scrap," he said, snaking an arm around her waist and pulling her closer. "By the way, do you really have a sister, or is it part of your cover story?"

"I really have a sister."

"I'd like to meet her some day."

"She's a certified pain in the ass."

"That's not a nice thing to say about her."

"Sometimes I think I'm one of only two persons in the world who can put up with her, the other one being our Dad." Later, Sarah would wonder why she had volunteered all this personal information to Chuck so easily. The answer was simple: He made her feel and act like a normal person when off missions.

He drove Sarah to her hotel, stopping at a convenience store on the way, where she bought some stuff that she needed. Once at the Maison 23, he insisted on escorting her to her room. They were both laughing at a joke he had told her in the elevator as she prepared to insert her key in the hole. Suddenly, the door swung open on its own, or so it seemed at first.

"Surprise!"

Sarah's reaction was to instinctively draw her gun in a lightning fast move, while something new happened to Chuck. He flashed on martial arts and took a fighting stance while simultaneously flashing on the blonde who had opened the door. According to the Intersect the woman was Carina Miller, a DEA agent with an excellent service record and a flair for improvisation.

"Dammit, Carina!" Sarah fumed, lowering her Smith & Wesson. "We could have killed you. What are you doing here?"

"Is that a way to greet me, Sarah? And you are being rude, too."

"Huh?"

"Won't you introduce me to your boyfriend?" Carina stepped aside to let them enter and they noticed for the first time that she was wearing a black silk robe and little else.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Sarah asked, looking around the room.

"I didn't bring a guy in here, if that's what you mean. But I did take a shower. I had a long trip and I needed it. Would you two like some champagne?" Carina proceeded to pour a glass for herself and one for Chuck. When Sarah nodded, she poured a third glass and gave it to her.

"Carina, this is Chuck. Chuck, this is Carina…"

"Miller of the DEA, recently returned from an assignment in Argentina, I know. I read her file at work."

"What the fuck? You can't access my file and know about that unless you have very high clearance, G-6 or higher."

"Chuck has the highest possible clearance," Sarah said, enjoying Carina's bafflement.

"Cheers to spying then," Carina said and clinked glasses with them. "Sarah, you don't mind if I crash here with you, just for tonight, do you?"

"Mi casa es su casa, Carina."

"Gracias! I'll book a hotel room in the morning. By the way, what are you doing here in Snoresville?"

"I'm here for a job."

"Whatever it is, it looks boring."

"On the contrary, I'm having a great time here."

"Are you enjoying _him_?" She pointed at Chuck. "Or are you actually expecting me to believe you've had nothing between your nethers that doesn't run on batteries since you and Bryce broke up?"

"Carina!"

"Sorry to hear about Bryce, by the way."

Chuck, blushing, was watching the two women talk like he wasn't there. His eyes widened at the mention of Bryce, but then again it stood to reason. There were few ladies Bryce couldn't woo and Sarah had already admitted to having worked with him. But it still surprised Chuck to learn that Sarah and Bryce had been an item.

"Chuck?"

"Yes?"

"Maybe you can tell me; are you sleeping with Sarah here?"

"Uh, excuse me?"

"Are you and Sarah doing the horizontal tango?"

"Gentlemen don't kiss and tell."

"I get it," she said slyly.

"Stop it! Chuck and I are supposed to be a couple, but that's just our cover."

"If you ladies will excuse me, I have an early start tomorrow and obviously you have a lot to talk about, so I have to be going."

"OK. But before you go, I'd like a word with you, in private." They stepped out to the hallway by the stairs.

"What is it, Sarah?"

"You flashed on her, didn't you?"

"I saw her service record. And, Sarah, something weird happened."

"What?" She was intrigued.

"I had two flashes at the same time; an intel recall and a martial arts flash. I think we need to tell Graham and Beckman about it."

"I agree. Now, go home and get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Okie-dokie. Goodnight Sarah."

"Goodnight."

-o-

The following morning, Chuck, Sarah, Casey and Carina were gathered in Casey's office, waiting for Graham and Beckman to brief them on their next assignment. Sarah was making small talk with Carina, while Casey was impatiently tapping his foot as Chuck was trying to fix the primary encryption module.

"Well?"

"It's fried. I can't fix it without a spare. We are without secure communications here, both in Castle and in Sarah's office."

"Can't you take a circuit board or something from another module?"

"I can't. This module is connected to all outside lines. The others are the integral components of the systems and the parts are not interchangeable."

"Shit. I'll call the General." He took out his phone and briefed Beckman on the developments. "We got new orders. The briefing will take place over at my apartment," he said when he finally hung up.

-o-

"Ladies and gentlemen, Agent Miller is with you because we think we have a connecting case. As you all know, the major production center for opium poppy, from which heroin is derived, is Afghanistan. We have been seeing a worrisome increase in the quantities of heroin shipped into the United States, despite the best possible interdiction efforts by the DEA and the Coast Guard," began Graham.

"In addition, recent intelligence indicates that certain drug lords, predominantly Afghani and Pakistani, have reached a deal with Al Qaeda terrorists, not only in the poppy trade and heroin manufacture, but also to allow the latter to use drug labs to manufacture chemical warfare agents, which they will be used in terrorist attacks against the United States and our allies in Europe and elsewhere," Beckman said.

"What do you want us to do, General?"

"According to Interpol, one of the major transporters is Peyman Alahi." The man's photo appeared on one screen. "Does he ring a bell, Mr. Bartowski?"

"No ma'am. I do not recall seeing his file."

"Your mission will be to discover where the chemical agents will be manufactured so that the facility can be targeted for destruction. You will all work together on this. Now, Agent Miller, I'd like a few minutes with my team."

"Yes ma'am," Carina said and went out to the courtyard.

"General, Miller is a great agent, but she tends to improvise and take unwarranted risks. In fact-"

"We know what happened in Prague, Major Casey," Graham said and Sarah chuckled. She couldn't help it. She knew about Prague in every sordid detail.

"You know, Walker?" Casey said, looking at Sarah with narrowed eyes.

"Carina told me last night after she found out that she'll be working with you, too."

"What happened in Prague?" Chuck asked innocently.

"Grrrrr…"

"I don't need to know."

"I believe we have covered everything. Go over the information we sent you and work out a strategy regarding Mr. Alahi."

"General, wait!"

"Yes, Mr. Bartowski?"

"I think you need to know that last night I experienced a double flash, both on intel and on martial arts at the same time."

"This is very interesting. How did it affect you?"

"Normally, when recalling information there are mild side effects, like momentary dizziness and, in extreme cases, slight nausea. This time I believe that the adrenaline rush from the martial arts flash suppressed the aforementioned side effects."

"So, basically you are saying that you were not adversely affected."

"Exactly, ma'am."

"I can discuss the matter with our scientists, without mentioning you specifically. You did the right thing letting us know. Thank you Mr. Bartowski."

"You are welcome."

"We'd better get back to work. I don't want people, especially that bearded troll friend of yours getting suspicious."

"Relax, Casey. Morgan is out on company business. Sarah made sure that he'll not be back at the office."

"I told him to go home when he's done. I certainly gave him enough work to keep him busy until closing time."

"Good thinking."

-o-

"What do we have on this Alahi guy?" Carina asked.

"He's of Pakistani descent, born in the UK, his family moved to the US when he was still very young. Strangely enough, he has no proven connections to drug cartels, fundamentalist or terrorist groups," Chuck said, reading from the file.

"What does he do for a living?"

"He's owns a shipping company. It's not big, just three ships, a relatively large oil tanker, a container ship and a Handymax bulk cargo carrier."

"Have they ever been investigated?"

"The Coast Guard did perform routine inspections on a few occasions, but found nothing out of the ordinary."

"There is something," Chuck said after flashing on a shipping schedule. He did a little more digging on the computer in an attempt to get confirmation.

"What is it, Chucky?" Carina asked.

"Law enforcement agencies have repeatedly reported spikes in the seizure of heroin right around the dates the container ship docked in West Coast ports during the last two years or so."

"What about the other ships?" Sarah asked.

"Nothing. I was wondering… could they be using a miniature submarine carried attached under the hull of the ship?"

"Where did you get that idea, Bartowski? Sounds somewhat familiar."

"I read it in a novel by Clive Cussler."

"Now I remember, 'Mediterranean Caper', wasn't it?"

"You got that right."

"That's kind of outlandish," Sarah said. "We are not in a James Bond movie."

"The Intersect sounds outlandish, too, yet here it is in my head." Fortunately, Carina had gone to the ladies' room and missed Chuck's slip up.

"Chuck, are you crazy?" Sarah hissed. "You must never mention _it_ when we are in the company of people who are not in the know."

"Sorry," he said lamely.

"Did I miss anything?" Carina asked as she took a seat at the conference table again.

"Nothing."

"Here's what we know so far. The drugs are probably transported on the Al Khalid. How they are unloaded without detection is still a mystery."

"Maybe not. Sarah, remember the movie we watched with Morgan, Ellie and Awesome the other day?"

"Bad Boys 2?"

"Yes."

"I see where you're going. They dump the drugs overboard and their associates recover them from the sea, cut the heroin and distribute it."

"We still don't know where they are being manufactured," Casey pointed out.

"That's the point of the whole exercise; to find the location of the labs," Carina added.

"Still… If we can come up with sufficient evidence to indict him on drug smuggling charges, perhaps he can also be convinced to reveal the source," Sarah suggested.

"It's an option," Carina said simply.

The meeting was adjourned shortly afterwards. There would be another planning session in the evening. Chuck went back to his office to do some work, while Carina took Sarah along on a shopping trip. Just before closing time, Morgan entered.

"Morgan, what are you doing here? Didn't Sarah tell you to go home after you finished work?"

"She did, but I had to come here and leave some stuff for her and you." He handed Chuck some folders he took out of his briefcase. "And I met a girl."

"Congratulations, little buddy! Come on, give me the specifics."

"Thanks. I met her when I took a coffee break after a meeting with some customers that Sarah had set up. As Big Mike would say, she's a fine miniature piece of woman."

"Who did Big Mike say this about? I vaguely remember him saying it when we worked at the Buy More, but I don't think it was about Anna."

"He said it about Lou. Remember Lou, the deli girl?"

"I do remember her. I had fixed her phone a few weeks before we left the Buy More. She loves her Nana and has the mouth of a trucker."

"From what I hear the Chuck sandwich is still on offer to selected customers."

"And the girl you met…"

"Oh, right. She's a college student who works at the diner nearby. Her name is Alex."

"I think I know who you are talking about. Petite, brunette, that's her, correct?"

"Correct. As I was saying, good business whets my appetite, so I went there for a coffee and some apple pie. She took my order, I was happy with the way business is going and I flirted with her."

"And I take that she responded."

"Oh yeah. I think I'll ask her out on a date. If all goes well, we'll both have girlfriends."

"I'm so happy for you, Morgan." Chuck was indeed happy for his best friend, but at the same time sad because his relationship with Sarah was a cover. But he couldn't let anyone know that.

-o-

"So, Sarah, what's the deal with you and Chucky?"

"We work together, that's all."

"Then you haven't made your cover more realistic?"

"That would be unprofessional, not to mention against regulations. Relationships between agents and analysts are frowned upon, you know."

"A small thing like regulations never stopped me before. Maybe I'll take him for a spin and let you know what I think of him afterwards. Hey, check this out," Carina said before Sarah could answer, pointing at a shop window. "I think it'll look great on you. Come on, you are definitely going to try it on."

-o-

"I did some surveillance of Alahi's Malibu villa," Casey said, spreading several large glossy photographs on the conference table. "What can you tell us about the security system, Bartowski?"

"From what I see, there are five explosion protected security cameras with day and night imaging capability covering the grounds. They are equipped for remote access. Hacking into the system and looping the cameras won't be a problem. In fact, I am familiar with the model. The spy shop at the Buy More Plaza used to sell them."

"If we decide to break in," Sarah pointed out.

"We may have to. His office communications are now being monitored, but it all looks legit."

"I wouldn't mind going in with Chuckles and check the place out," Carina said, placing her hands on Chuck's shoulders. He stiffened noticeably. Normally, he would have been incredibly flattered to receive the attention of such a beautiful woman, but now it was just uncomfortable. One of the reasons for him feeling this way was that his heart had already been captured by another woman.

"He's not a field agent, Carina. He's an analyst; he has no training for this!"

"He can do overwatch in the van," Casey suggested.

"Only if he promises to stay in the van this time."

"Scout's honor, Sarah."

"You were a boy scout?"

"No," Chuck laughed. "But it's the thought that counts, right?"

-o-

After dark, three figures in black mission gear approached the outer wall of Alahi's compound. They stopped in the cover of some bushes and waited.

"The camera covering your entry point is looped. The coast is clear," Chuck's voice came through their earpieces.

"Didn't you loop all the cameras?"

"I was going to do that, but they are being monitored in the security booth and there is one patrolling guard. It made more sense to loop the feeds of the cameras you can't avoid."

"Good idea, Moron."

"Thanks."

"We're in," Sarah said, putting her lock picks away.

"There's no surveillance on the inside. I'm still getting a good signal from your cams."

"Roger that."

Chuck kept monitoring their progress inside the villa, occasionally consulting the building plans to give them directions. _Staying in the car can be fun_, he thought as he leaned back and popped another dumpling in his mouth from the box of Chinese takeout he'd bought on the way from a restaurant Morgan had recommended. His recently made stakeout mix was playing in the background, the volume turned low. He stole a look at the thermal imager monitor and sat up.

"Guys, there is someone coming your way. Check your two o'clock." He watched in rapt fascination as Sarah knocked the man out with a roundhouse kick and Casey fired two tranq darts into him for good measure. Then he checked the surveillance again. "You are clear all the way to the office," he said.

Casey covered Sarah and Carina as they bugged the office and copied all the data from the computer into a portable hard drive using a special hacking program Chuck had written. Something in the room caught Carina's eye and she went to investigate, leaving Sarah to monitor the download progress. The door she opened led to a narrow staircase.

"Carina, where are you going?"

"Relax, Chuckles. Do you see anyone near us on thermal?"

"Nope."

"Wow…"

"What?" Casey and Sarah asked in unison.

"I'm in a vault. The guy's got tons of art and oh what a diamond! It's huge!"

"Get back here now, we're almost done," Casey growled.

"I'm sooo taking that diamond!"

"Carina, are you insane?"

"Sarah, let her take it. It's the perfect cover-up. The guy you knocked out is bound to wake up some time and a burglary is a good way to keep the Wookiee from becoming suspicious."

"The Wookiee?"

"Peyman Alahi," Chuck said, referring to the surveillance photos of the mark Casey had taken. "The guy doesn't have to spend money on sweaters."

"Bartowski's got a point here. Sometimes we need to improvise. Do it, Miller."

"Gladly." Carina had a predatory gleam in her eyes as she prepared to snatch the big diamond off its pedestal. Chuck, who was watching the feed from her miniature camera flashed.

"Carina, stop!"

"Why?"

"The pedestal has twenty thousand volts of electricity waiting to fry anyone who tries to get the diamond."

"What do you suggest?"

"You're asking me?"

"Sarah said you are the brainiac."

"Use compressed air to knock it off the pedestal."

"Like this?" Carina had found a fire extinguisher.

"It'll do the job."

"Sarah, come down here."

"On my way."

"Ladies, be careful. The alarm will be triggered once you remove the diamond from the pedestal. Run for the beach when you get it, OK? I'll pick you up there."

Carina picked up the fire extinguisher and directed the CO2 jet at the diamond. It flew from the pedestal and landed in Sarah's cupped hands. The alarm started blaring and the three agents quickly exited the house and ran to the beach. Casey took out another guard on the way. Chuck disabled all security cameras in the compound, moved to the driver's seat and gunned the engine. The four wheel drive GMC van shot forward towards the beach. He slammed on the brakes when he saw his friends running towards him pursued by Alahi's goons. Casey knelt behind a rock and provided covering fire for the girls. Sarah reached the van first, yanked open the side door and stepped aside to allow Carina to jump in. Chuck had found an HK UMP submachine gun and used it to force the bad guys to continue keeping their heads down.

"Casey, come on!" Sarah yelled. He emptied the clip of his SIG and ran to the van. Shoving Sarah inside, he piled in after her and slammed the door closed.

"Bartowski, drive!" Chuck obeyed and soon they were on the way back to base.

* * *

END PART ONE


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter ****8 – The Prodigal Spy (Part Two)**

**

* * *

**

"Even with the unavoidable, as it turned out, complications, the mission was well executed," Graham said at the debriefing. Chuck had repaired the encryption module just minutes ago, using an urgently delivered spare part. "Our analysts are going over the data you recovered from Alahi's computer, but still haven't found anything of interest."

"Making it look like a burglary was a stroke of genius," Beckman added.

"It was Chuck's idea, ma'am," Sarah said.

"Well then, congratulations, Mr. Bartowski. If you keep it up you'll become a full fledged agent before you know it."

"Thank you General," Chuck said politely. "It was Agent Miller who gave me the idea to suggest the burglary as a cover-up."

"We'll contact you when we have more information." Their superiors signed off.

"I'll go change," Carina said. "Yell if anything comes up." She headed straight for the locker rooms.

"You did well out there, Bartowski," said Casey.

"Not just well, he did great!" Sarah enthused.

"Um, thanks, I really appreciate it guys, but I kinda freaked out when the General said that I'm well on my way to becoming an agent. All I want is to help until I can get the Intersect out of my head." The last part was whispered conspiratorially. He didn't want another chewing out by Sarah.

"I know," Sarah said and patted him on the back. "By the way, what did you tell Ellie about not being at home tonight?"

"The usual; that I'll be spending the night at your place with you."

"I know you don't like lying to your sister, but at least part of it is true. You are with me right now."

"Yeah…" Chuck didn't tell her that he wanted to be with her for real, no pretending and no holds barred.

"Where's Miller?" Casey asked suddenly.

"Didn't she just go to the locker room to change?"

"She's really taking her time."

"I'm gonna go change, too," Sarah said. She came running back seconds later. "She's not there!"

"She took the diamond and scooted. She's going to give it to her boss and move up the DEA's covert ranks."

"It's a drug diamond," Sarah shrugged. "Let her keep it."

Chuck, who was looking at the high resolution video from Sarah's camera, fast-forwarded to the scene inside the vault. He wanted to get a good look at the precious stone. He froze a frame and admired the flawless diamond – and then...

_A wind farm_

_The diamond_

_Plans for the sale of the diamond_

_Stinger missiles_

_Data sheets for the FIM-92 Stinger missile_

_A target drone being shot down by a Stinger missile_

_Evidence pointing at the purchase of missiles using the proceeds from the diamond sale_

_A list of the terrorist groups interested in the missiles_

_A wind farm_

"Chuck? Did you just flash?"

"Uh, yeah… boy, that was one long flash… Guys, this is not a drug diamond. It belongs to a consortium of terrorist groups who are hoping to finance the purchase of Stinger missiles using the proceeds from the sale of the diamond!"

"Walker, call the General and Graham! I'll go talk to Miller and get the diamond."

"OK, go."

"Bartowski, one more thing."

"Yes, Casey?"

"Why didn't you flash on the diamond before?"

"Because I only took a good look at it now."

After Casey left, Sarah immediately activated the communications link again. Chuck gave a summary of his flash to Graham and Beckman, who were immediately interested. This was solid proof of Peyman Alahi's ties to terrorists. In addition, Chuck and Sarah learned that no useful intel had been gleaned from the data they had copied at the villa and that the monitoring of Alahi's legitimate offices was a bust as well, which was kind of disappointing.

Sarah tiredly went to the locker room and changed into jeans and a frilly white blouse. Returning to the main area, she took a can of Sprite from the kitchenette and plopped down on the couch in the lounge adjoining the work room.

"Tired?" Chuck asked.

"Uh-huh," she mumbled. He moved behind her and started gently massaging her shoulders. She initially stiffened at his touch, but then she relaxed and enjoyed it. Chuck Bartowski was definitely a man of many talents, she thought.

"Don't worry, Sarah. We are going to find out what's going on."

"We'd better. I don't like to lose."

"I kind of figured that out a long time ago."

"Do you want to sit down?"

"No, thanks. You just relax. I've got some more work to do. I'll go over the footage again and see if I can flash on anything else."

"Use a wireless connection to a laptop and come work in here. Part of my job is to monitor you and note your reaction to the flashes." At least that was the excuse she gave him. In reality, she just needed the company. He sat down with the laptop on his lap and she folded her legs under her and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I've always wondered how women can do that."

"Do what?"

"Sit like this."

"Men are like dogs; we are like cats, more flexible. And I'd recommend taking the folding table to put the laptop on."

"Why's that?"

"There are studies currently investigating any adverse effects the heat from a laptop can potentially have on men's exterior plumbing," she said.

"Really?" He held the laptop a good distance away from his groin. "How do you know?"

"I think I read it while surfing the web in my office."

"I should feel lucky you did," he said, taking a small folding table and resting the laptop on it. She made herself comfortable again and watched the videos with him. A while later she sat up.

"Casey should have called in by now," she said.

"You think so?"

"Wouldn't he have called to say that he got the diamond?"

"Crap, you are right. What if something happened to him?"

"I'm going to check it out." She reached for her shoes that were at the foot of the couch.

"I'm coming with you. And I recommend that you put either your boots or sneakers on. High heels are not that suitable for running."

"Good point." She went in search of her boots. A couple of minutes later they were in her Porsche, speeding towards the Marriott. She parked the car and got out.

"What room is Carina in?"

"Stay in the car, Chuck."

"But-"

"Stay!" She went running into the hotel and took an elevator to Carina's floor. Pausing outside her door, she did a quick check of the hallway and listened for any sound from inside the room. The only thing she heard was something like a faint metallic rattling. She picked the lock, drew her gun and entered. Casey was in the room, in his undershirt and clover leaf adorned boxer shorts, gagged and cuffed to the bed.

He mumbled something that sounded like "About time you got here, Walker," through the gag.

"Just like Prague, huh?" She took her phone out.

"What are you doing?" (Still mumbled)

"Smile!" She snapped the picture.

"I'm gonna kill you and I'm gonna kill her. Get me out of here!" (Again, mumbled) He was so angry that he tugged hard and broke the wooden headboard. He was still cuffed to the broken off piece, but at least he could now remove the gag. "You got a key for those cuffs?"

"Catch!" She tossed him a key. "So, Carina got the drop on you, again? Maybe we should have sent Chuck in your place."

"Where's the Moron?" Casey asked, as he unlocked the cuffs, tossed them aside and started getting dressed.

"He's waiting in the car."

"And you trust him to stay in the car?"

"He has nowhere else to go. What happened? Did you tell her about the diamond?"

"I asked for it back." He didn't say more. It was kind of embarrassing anyway.

"You should have told her why we needed it."

"Give me her phone number."

"So that you can put a trace on her?"

"Yes," he replied. She gave him the number and Casey initiated a trace.

"I'll call her, too." She dialed the number and put the phone on speaker when they were out in the parking lot. Chuck joined them.

"Hello!"

"Carina! We need to talk."

"Sarah, is it about Johnny?"

"Yes and no. We have new intel. It's not a drug diamond, it belongs to terrorists."

"Is it true?"

"Yes, Carina," Chuck said. "They were planning to sell it and buy Stinger missiles with the money. We'd let you keep it if we were dealing with a drug diamond."

Carina sighed audibly. She was a wild card, but she was also a pro. "Where do you want to meet?"

"Come meet us in Castle."

"OK."

In Castle, Casey locked the diamond in a safe. Sarah and Carina were giggling in a corner.

"What do you think they found so funny?"

*grunt* (curiosity killed the geek) "Don't you have anything better to do, Bartowski?"

Chuck didn't answer; he was looking past Casey at the TV. "Turn the volume up!"

Sarah had learned not to question Chuck. Even without the Intersect, he was proving to be extremely accurate in his assessments.

Reporter: "We are in Malibu, where shots were fired earlier tonight during an attempted burglary in the house you can see behind me. The Police have cordoned off the area and are looking for evidence. According to initial reports, the security guards at the estate thwarted the burglary and the suspects had to leave before stealing anything, exchanging gunfire with the guards during their escape. There were no casualties reported as a result of the shootout…"

"Looks like we made the news," Carina said. "What do you think, Chucky? Do you want to come to my room and celebrate?"

"Um, I'm flattered that you are asking me, but I'm really too busy here." He stole a look at Sarah, who was furious, but was trying to hide it.

"We are still back to square one," she said finally.

"Even though we have tangible proof of his terrorist connections, we can't grab him for interrogation, not after all that publicity," Casey added.

"He covered the theft up well."

"He had no choice. He can't very well say that a diamond belonging to terrorists was stolen from his vault. Especially since he doesn't know who took it."

Chuck shut them all out and resumed reviewing the mission videos, looking for something they might have missed. He played them over and over again, watching some parts in slow motion, trying to see if anything would trigger a flash. He was so absorbed by the task that he lost all track of time and only looked up when he felt Sarah's hand on his shoulder after what felt like an eternity, while it was only ten minutes later.

"Here," she said, "drink this." She gave him some fruit juice.

"Thanks," he smiled. She smiled back and sat down next to him.

"So, how's it going?"

"Still working on it," he said and then stiffened, froze a frame and zoomed in on a corner.

"What is it?"

"Take a look. When you were taking a shortcut through the storage shed on the way to the beach, you tripped on this." It was a large panel, with regularly spaced ridges.

"And?"

"See here," he said. Something was stenciled on it in white. She could make out the words 'TARE WT'.

"Is it…"

"It's a panel from a shipping container. But it's not metal. I'm guessing it's fiberglass. Otherwise you wouldn't have moved it with your foot. Hey, I figured it all out!"

"Casey, Carina, come here! Chuck's on to something!" Sarah called excitedly.

"What have you got there, Bartowski?"

"The drug lab is on the Al Khalid! They have fabricated containers out of fiberglass to house it. I guess the containers have ballast tanks and they lower them by crane into the sea where they float below the surface. Then the ship enters port, unloads the legitimate cargo and picks up the fake containers again on the way out."

"Wouldn't they drift away with the currents?" Carina asked.

"They may have fitted them with homing beacons, or there could be a fishing trawler nearby ready to hook a line to the containers and also pick up the processed heroin."

"It's doable," Casey said after doing some mental arithmetic. "If it's just a couple of containers, such an operation wouldn't take long. Well done, Bartowski. I'll call the General and ask her to contact COMSUBPAC and have them assign a boat out of San Diego to shadow the Al Khalid. With any luck we'll nab them when they try to pull that stunt again."

Chuck was furiously typing on one of the computers. "The Al Khalid is due to arrive in Los Angeles tomorrow," he announced. "Tell the General to do whatever she has to do fast."

Casey immediately called Beckman and gave her a summary of what Chuck had said and what he considered to be proof of his opinion. The General told them to stand by and contacted them again fifteen minutes later.

"Mr. Bartowski," she said, "based on your assessment, the submarine USS Asheville has just been assigned to tail Alahi's container ship. If you are right, the transfer of the drugs and the containers will be filmed and a combined DEA and Coast Guard task force will board the ships, arrest the crews and confiscate any contraband. Agent Miller, I suppose that you want to be part of the operation."

"Yes ma'am."

"It's settled then. Team, you have done an excellent job. Goodnight."

"Well, since we have nothing to do but wait until tomorrow, why don't you come with me to my room, Chucky? The offer still stands and I really hate sleeping alone. Not that we'll actually sleep much if you say yes."

"Do we have to go over this again, Carina?"

"Is that a no?"

"It is."

"Will it change your mind if I promise not to use my handcuffs on you, unless, of course, you are into this sort of thing?"

"What? No!"

"Well, you can't say I didn't try." She noticed that Sarah had been glaring daggers at her every time she tried to seduce Chuck.

"Just don't kill each other over the Moron," Casey said sarcastically. He then put a few things in his backpack and left to go to his apartment.

"I guess I'll be going myself," Carina said. "Goodnight."

"See you tomorrow," Sarah said.

"Goodnight Carina."

"Chuck, what are you going to do now? I mean, you obviously can't go home, or Ellie will get suspicious."

"The couch in my office is really comfortable. I'll sleep there."

"I have a better idea. The two biggest detention cells down here have been turned into sleeping quarters, in case we have guests or we have to stay here. I'll take one, you get the other."

"Good idea, Sarah. I'll go get a change of clothes from my locker."

"Chuck," she called as he was heading down the hallway.

"Yes?"

"You did great today."

"Thanks."

-o-

In the morning Chuck got up first and went to check up on Sarah. She was still peacefully asleep. He decided to let her rest some more and opted for a quick shower, after which he went to the kitchenette and started making coffee and toast.

"Mmm, smells good," Sarah's still sleepy voice came from behind him. He was a bit startled, but he hid it well.

"Good morning," he turned and said with that megawatt smile of his. In doing so he noticed that she was wearing the T-shirt and boxer shorts she'd slept in. She looked really sexy, but he managed to keep his voice at a normal level. "I hope you are hungry. Breakfast will be ready soon."

"I'll go for a shower first," she yawned and stretched. Damn, she was hot. Chuck quickly turned his attention back to the toaster.

"Okay."

When she returned fully dressed in a business suit, as they still had to go to the office, she found coffee, toast, eggs and bacon ready.

"I'm impressed."

"Nah, it was nothing," he said, pouring her a glass of orange juice.

"You're still a better cook than I am."

"I beg to differ. You made a chocolate soufflé, remember?"

"I just followed the recipe I found in a cookbook."

"I let the Hamburger Helper do all the heavy lifting when I cook. By default, it means that you are better in the kitchen."

"And what's your best dish, Chuck?" Sarah asked and took a bite of toast.

"My dad taught me how to make chicken with balsamic glaze and I can also make chicken pepperoni, pasta, eggs, burgers, generally the easy stuff."

"It's still more than I do. I couldn't even make corndogs at the Wienerlicious without burning them."

"You can do wonders when you put your mind to it, Sarah," he said and she smiled at him over her coffee mug.

They finished their breakfast, cleaned up the place and went straight to the office. Morgan wasn't in yet, so nobody noticed them as they came in through the access tunnel from Castle. Chuck went over the dailies and then started working on his own projects, while Sarah reviewed his training schedule making some necessary changes before resuming her tasks as the marketing and public relations manager of Chuck's company. Morgan came in later and made a beeline for Chuck's office.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully.

"Hey buddy."

"How was the sleepover at Sarah's?"

"It was great."

"I had a great time, too."

"Let me guess; with Alex?"

"Uh-huh. I asked her out on a date and since she didn't have any studying to do she agreed. Chuck, I think I'm in love."

"Morgan, the last time you said that…"

"No, Chuck, I'm serious. I think she's the one."

"Then I'm really happy for you, Morgan."

"Thanks dude! I'll get to work now."

-o-

Sarah had decided to play one of Chuck's games on her computer for lack of anything better to do. But five minutes and the tutorial later, she was hooked. _Am I turning into a nerd,_ she briefly wondered. She shrugged off the notion and continued playing. She was thoroughly enjoying herself when her phone rang. The photo of Casey cuffed to Carina's bed filled the caller ID screen. She growled in annoyance as she paused the game and took the call.

"What is it, Casey?"

"The General just called. She wants us to be there if it all pans out. Get the Moron and meet me in the Coast Guard Air Station area over at LAX."

"I'm not sure we should take Chuck along."

"Do we have to go over this again, Walker? The General and Graham think that he might be useful there."

"OK, fine, we'll be there." She hung up and cursed as she picked up her purse and went to Chuck's office.

"Hey Sarah, were you enjoying the game?"

"How could you tell?"

"You had the volume way up."

"Oh. I was, very much. Anyway, Casey called. We need to go, come on."

"Yeah, just gimme a sec." He called Morgan on the intercom. "Buddy, something came up. Sarah and I have to go. We'll be back in a few hours."

"OK. No worries, dude, I can handle anything."

They got in Sarah's Porsche and were talking to Casey soon afterwards. They were quite surprised to see him with a huge cigar jutting from his mouth. Sarah was getting quite a few admiring looks from the Coast Guardsmen at the base, which was attributable to the short tight skirt she was wearing. She hadn't had the time to go downstairs to Castle and change before heading to LAX.

They didn't have long to wait. The skipper of the submarine shadowing Alahi's ship saw the crew lowering the containers into the water and transferring drugs to a trawler and sounded the alarm. Both vessels were stopped by the Coast Guard and boarded by heavily armed search and seizure teams. The news reached Team Chuck and immediately the three boarded an MH-65C Dolphin helicopter which took them straight to a cutter on scene. After exchanging pleasantries with the commanding officer of the ship, they were taken to see the recovered fake containers/labs and the confiscated documents. They were met by Carina, who was ecstatic since she would get some credit for the successful bust.

While Casey kept Carina away from Chuck, he and Sarah carefully inspected the containers for any indications of having been used for the manufacture of chemical weapons. Chuck flashed several times and had only good news. No chemical warfare agents had been made, although some associated preparations were evident. Apparently they had been able to thwart the terrorists' plans before they could advance very far. Acutely aware of the need to return to Burbank for the sake of their cover, Chuck, Sarah and Casey turned the case over to a new team of agents and flew back to LAX.

-o-

"Morgan, we're back!" Chuck said as he entered the Orion offices.

"Did you two lovebirds have a good time?"

"We were working, Morgan," Sarah said.

"What kind of work required both of you being away from the office for so long?"

"What?" Sarah was taken aback by the completely natural and innocent question. So was Chuck, but fortunately he quickly came up with an excuse.

"Sarah arranged it. We had to demonstrate to a customer's staff some things about one of our programs."

"We could make money out of this, giving seminars on how to use our programs. Good call, Sarah."

"Thanks."

"Buddy, it's a good idea, but I don't think the three of us could manage."

"You're right as always, O Wise One."

"Still, we got paid very well," said Sarah.

"That we did, honey, that we did." He kissed her, discomfort with PDA be damned.

"I'll get Graham to put some money in the company account to make it believable," she whispered in his ear as she hugged him back.

-o-

After hours, Chuck trained with Sarah and Casey in Castle. When the session was over, Carina joined them and they sat through a quick debriefing session with their bosses, being congratulated again for their excellent work.

"You know, Chuck, if it wasn't for your quick thinking Morgan might have gotten suspicious."

"I know. But I somehow believe that things will become easier sooner than you think."

"Why's that, Bartowski?" Casey asked.

"Morgan found himself a girlfriend."

"We need to check her out, Walker, verify she's not a security threat."

"Don't be so paranoid, Casey. I know the girl. In fact, I've known her for almost a year. She's a college student who works at the diner just around the corner."

"If getting laid helps keep his beard out of our business, that's good news," Casey said.

"Chuckles, now that it's all over, are you absolutely, positively, 100% sure that you don't want to come to my room?" Carina asked and again Sarah shot her an angry look.

"As flattered and, I must admit, a little intimidated as I am by your proposition, why me? Why are you so insistent?"

"Well, you're sort of cutish," Carina said seductively. "But the real reason is… I love taking what Sarah wants."

"Who, me? No, Sarah doesn't want me."

"She probably doesn't know it herself yet. But I do."

"Uh…"

"She'll realize it eventually. It'll be a shame not to," Carina said to herself as she turned to leave.

"What was that?"

"Chuck," she said, stopping and turning again to him, "I'll ask you one question and I want you to answer truthfully. Do you love Sarah?"

"Yes," he replied without a moment's hesitation. "With all my heart."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he repeated.

"Good answer. In fact, I figured that much out myself. Nobody has ever managed to resist me before. But you love her so much that you can't stomach the notion of cheating on her, even though she still considers your relationship a cover."

"Pretty much."

"Thank you." She hugged him. "That's the kind of man my baby sister deserves. You."

"Wha- what? You and Sarah are sisters?"

"We are. And she's one of two people I really love. So be warned; if you break her heart, I'll cut off parts of your anatomy that you'll sorely miss."

"I could never do that," Chuck said solemnly.

"I know. I was just playing with you. Take care of each other." They hugged again. Carina moved over to where Sarah was standing and hugged her too. "Adjö syster."

"Pożegnanie, Carina."

-o-

In the evening Sarah dropped by Chuck's place for a cover sleepover.

"I hope you're hungry, because I ordered pizza," he said.

"Good thing you did, I'm famished," she replied. One of the perks of her current assignment was the food. Ellie was an excellent cook and the others, namely Chuck, Devon and Morgan, knew the best places to order takeout from at reasonable prices.

"Ellie and Devon were called to the hospital. Some screw-up with the shifts, from what I gather. Here, vegetarian, no olives." He showed the pizza to her. "See, I know some things about you that are true. You don't like olives, you prefer veggie pizza, but you love medium rare cheeseburgers with extra pickles. Oh, I almost forgot! You have a sister named Carina."

"How do you know?"

"She told me. And it makes sense that you and Bryce had a thing. He always got the great girls," he said and winked at the last part. She smiled at the compliment. "But I just wish I knew more real things about you. Can't you just tell me… just one thing? Like… where you grew up, or, if that's too much, your name, your real name… or even your middle name? What's your middle name?" He stopped as he realized that he was pushing her too hard and smiled apologetically. "I'll go get the napkins."

Sarah was torn. Every instinct she possessed screamed at her to keep her mouth shut, but part of her wanted to answer all of Chuck's questions. "It's Lisa," she finally said quietly. "My middle name is Lisa." She looked at him and saw that he had a wide happy smile on his face.

"Well, Sarah Lisa Walker, what would you like to drink?"

"Since I'm not driving tonight, I'd love some beer."

"One Bud coming right up!"

They ate the pizza and drank the beer while watching one of Chuck's sci-fi movies. Sarah had to admit that she enjoyed it. When the movie ended, he tidied up the living room, while she went to his room and started getting ready for bed. He entered absentmindedly whistling a tune and found her in a tank top and cotton panties.

"Hi-oh," he said. "Sorry, I should have knocked first."

"It's OK, Chuck," she said as she slipped on a pair of his boxer shorts and burrowed under the covers. "Are you coming to bed?"

"In a minute," he replied and quickly changed into a T-shirt and sweatpants. "Goodnight Sarah," he said before turning out the lights.

"Goodnight Chuck."

It took him much longer to fall asleep than it did her. Having a scantily clad Sarah Walker in his bed had that effect on him. As he lay on his back watching the ceiling, she turned in her sleep and bumped into him. Instead of turning away, she snuggled closer, wrapped an arm around him and pillowed her head on his shoulder. It was almost like someone was playing a very cruel game with him. But in the moonlight filtering through the window, he saw the contented angelic smile on her face as she slept. He draped his arm over her shoulders and held her tenderly. Then, he gently kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Sarah Lisa Walker," he whispered.

Her smile only got bigger.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Time for some badly needed answers for Chuck and Sarah.

The following chapters will be rather more original, but I will include some of my favorite lines in them.

* * *

**Chapter ****9 – Getting Answers**

Chuck, Sarah and Casey were clustered around one of the Castle computers, watching the video taken in Professor Fleming's office years ago in Stanford. Chuck had wanted to know why he was in the Intersect and why his name was included in the disc. They all saw a different Bryce than the one they knew; a desperate man almost reduced to pleading for his best friend's welfare.

"I don't get it," Chuck said finally, breaking the heavy silence that hung over the room. "Bryce got Professor Fleming to lower my score from 98% to 60% to get me off the CIA's radar. At least he didn't go along with the Professor's original idea and get me expelled. But he also got a low grade on that test."

"He had already been recruited," Sarah said. "He was in the CIA regardless of his test results."

"Either that, or his publicized score was deliberately low. I mean, he could have scored much higher, but only the CIA would know his true score," Casey offered.

"It makes sense," Sarah agreed. "Since he was an agent, they wouldn't want to call attention to him. Also, the Omaha Project is still very highly classified and potential candidates would naturally be given special security measures so as not to compromise their identities."

"What about you, Sarah?"

"What about me?"

"Did you ever take a subliminal image retention test?"

"No."

"No?"

"I'd remember it if I had taken one, believe me." She sank into a chair. "But come to think of it, there was a similar class in Harvard. I just opted not to take it. I thought it was boring."

"You'd ace it, had you taken it."

"You think so, Chuck?"

"I know so."

"Maybe it's for the best that I didn't. Otherwise I could have found myself in your Chucks."

"Being the Human Intersect is not that bad, come to think of it. Wait… Did Sarah Walker just make a joke?"

"Why, can't I be funny on occasion?"

"The geek is rubbing off on you, Walker," Casey said.

"NERD!" Chuck and Sarah corrected him. "And proud of it," Chuck added. "Not to mention that what we just witnessed is definitely an improvement over the old and so not funny Sarah Walker."

"We still have no explanation for Larkin's recent actions."

"Maybe he had a good reason for stealing the Intersect, Casey."

"And maybe he had a good reason for sending it to Chuck."

*grunt* (we may never know)

Later, in his office, Chuck and Sarah were trying to deal in their own way each with the memories and emotions that the video had stirred inside them. He was playing Zork on his computer, while she was letting her gaze wander all over the room. Finally, her eyes rested on one of the bookcases. She got up from the couch and approached it. It was full of textbooks old and new on electrical engineering and computer programming. But it was the framed photographs that caught her attention. She picked one of them up. It was Bryce, Chuck and a few others from the Gamma Delta Phi fraternity. Sarah traced the outline of Chuck and Bryce's faces with her thumbs.

"Yeah, that's us back in Stanford," Chuck said, breaking her reverie.

"Bryce had the same picture in his DC apartment. He once talked to me about it; about Dave, Pete, Ed, Mac and Charlie…" Suddenly, she made a connection. "You are Charlie!"

"I am."

"He said that you were the best of the whole group."

"He did?"

"He was right," she said, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "You are a great guy, Chuck."

He hugged her tight as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"Bryce was behind some of the best times in my life. Although I could never beat him in 'Gotcha!' as he always managed to get the drop on me."

"I'll remind you that he was already an agent."

"I didn't know that back then. And he was a mean prankster, too. I wish I could talk to him… thank him for keeping me out of the spy world back then and also ask him why he sent me the Intersect. Speaking of which, I should probably work on the backlog of the dailies."

"You are welcome to use the computer in my office."

"I'll be right over." First he went to Morgan's office and asked about the day to day running of the company. With him busy with creating new software, games and all, plus his secret life, most of the administrative tasks had by default been assigned to Morgan, who was coping admirably.

"How did it go with Morgan?" Sarah asked when he entered her office.

"It went well."

"I've loaded the dailies on my computer."

"Let's see what we've got."

-o-

"All the flashes gave me a headache," Chuck complained after he finished reviewing the last file.

"I told you to take a break and not do them in one go," Sarah said, trying to sound casual, but there was no hiding the concern in her eyes.

"You were right as usual. Next time we have a backlog to clear I'll do it in stages."

"Do you have any aspirin in here?"

"Yes, it's in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom." He started getting up.

"Relax. I'll go get it." She soon came back with aspirin and a glass of water. Chuck nodded gratefully as he took the pills and washed them down with the water.

"There you are," Morgan said as he entered unannounced. It was one of his quirks Chuck had learned to live with a long time ago, but Sarah was still adjusting. "Are you all right dude?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a headache. What have you got for me, buddy?"

"I need you to sign these."

"Did you go over them?"

"They are OK. I double and triple checked."

"Then I can sign them." He affixed his signature on the documents Morgan gave him.

"And, Morgan, next time knock," Sarah said, possessively circling her arms around Chuck.

"Oh, sorry, um, I promise to remember that in the future. Now, if there isn't anything else you need me for, I'll go see my girlfriend."

"Have fun!" For a few moments after Morgan left Sarah still kept Chuck in her embrace, breathing in his masculine scent without even realizing what she was doing. Just as unconsciously, Chuck's thumb was rubbing circles on her wrist.

"Are you feeling better now, Chuck?"

He looked up and smiled at her. He wanted to kiss her so much. Instead he said "I'm better than fine." Incredibly, she didn't let go of him immediately, but gave him an affectionate squeeze first.

"We should be closing up shop. By the way, did Devon manage to get the UCLA warpaint off?"

"He did. I recommended something we had used in the past."

"And what was that?"

"It's funny, actually. During my last year at the Buy More, Big Mike – the manager – had this funny idea to have the entire staff paint their faces in Buy More colors for the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, he sent Jeff and Lester, don't ask about them, to buy the paint. It proved to be a pain to wash off."

"Hmmm…"

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm just trying to picture you with your face painted."

"Take a look at this," he said and opened a file he kept in his computer using the office LAN for remote access. "Morgan and I goofing around on that day."

She took a good look and immediately started laughing. "You look so funny in the Nerd Herd uniform and face paint," she said.

"One of our finest moments. You make sure we haven't forgotten anything here, I'll go check my office."

'Will you lock up, or should I do it?"

"If you wait for me, we can leave together."

"Thanks, but right now all I can think of is a hot bath and my bed."

"You're not getting away that easily, Agent Walker."

"Huh?"

"Her Imperial Majesty Eleanor Faye Bartowski decreed that you will join us for dinner and movie at the Echo Park Palace. Sorry I forgot to tell you earlier."

"I'll meet you there, in that case."

"She is expecting to see us together. You can use our bathroom; it'll look good for the cover."

"No argument there. OK. I'll do it your way."

"The things spies have to do for the job," he joked.

"You have no idea. Well, you do, actually, but this is something I'll enjoy."

-o-

"Sarah, so nice of you to come!"

"Hi Ellie, nice seeing you too."

"Don't just stand there, come in!"

"Where is Awesome, sis?" Chuck asked as he pulled a somewhat reluctant Sarah inside.

"I sent him to buy some stuff I needed."

"Then he got the paint off."

"He did, thanks to you, little brother."

"If you'll excuse me," Sarah said, "I could really use a shower right now."

"Take your time. I'll need your help in the kitchen, but I can't do anything until Devon comes back from the store."

"Ellie, I'll be more of a hindrance than help. I'm hopeless in the kitchen."

"Nonsense, Sarah, you'll do fine, if that chocolate soufflé is any indication."

"Okay," Sarah said hesitantly. She should have known that the damn soufflé would come back to haunt her. She disappeared to the bathroom.

"Is there anything you want me to do, sis?"

"Not for the moment, Chuck."

"Fine by me." He sat down on the couch and turned the TV on.

"Ellie, help!" Sarah called out a few minutes later. Chuck and Ellie were both alarmed and ran to the bathroom.

"Sarah, what's wrong?" Ellie asked. She seemed fine. Sure, she was still wet from the shower and wearing only a towel wrapped tight around her body and covering it from chest to mid-thigh, which caused Chuck's heart rate to spike, but looked fine, although she was clearly worried and embarrassed about something.

"I, um, well, I kind of forgot to bring a change of clothes," she replied sheepishly and briefly glared daggers at Chuck for getting her into this situation.

"No problem, I'll get you something to wear. We are about the same size, so my clothes should fit you nicely."

"Thanks Ellie."

Chuck allowed her what he thought to be sufficient time to get dressed and then entered his room hoping that she was decent. He would have knocked, but Ellie, who was hovering nearby, might find it weird, as Sarah was supposed to be his girlfriend. Fortunately, Sarah was dressed and was in the act of putting her shoes on.

"Sarah, I was thinking… Since your cover is being my girlfriend, shouldn't you have some of your clothes in my closet?"

"You've got a point there, Chuck," she replied. "I'll take care of it."

"Ellie's waiting to give you your first lesson in how to become a master chef quickly and effortlessly." He said that with a straight face. She laughed and went to the kitchen. Chuck sat on the bed and furrowed his brow in thought. The decision on what he had to do was easy; he selected a few items of clothing, mostly boxer shorts, button down shirts and T-shirts, plus a set of sweats and a few pairs of socks and arranged them neatly in a drawer before writing 'For Sarah' on a post it note and pasting it on said drawer. He smiled. Now the cover would look even more authentic. Well, he was hoping that it wouldn't be a cover for much longer. He loved her and somehow knew that her feelings towards him were not entirely faked.

Dinner was a fun affair, as usual, and then Ellie dropped the bomb. She wanted Sarah to help her prepare the Thanksgiving dinner in two days. With the appropriate hesitation, Sarah agreed, thinking it would reinforce her cover and also because she really enjoyed spending time with Chuck's family and friends.

-o-

"Good evening, boys and girl," General Beckman said during their second briefing on a rather uneventful day. "One of Chuck's flashes from this morning's dailies was combined with other information we had and resulted in actionable intelligence."

"Finally, we get a mission," muttered Casey.

"Yes, Major, we have a mission for you," Graham interjected. "Our analysis states that there is some sort of sensitive cargo waiting to be picked up by the recipient somewhere in the port of Los Angeles. You are to investigate and find out what this cargo is and the identity and aims of the recipient. As usual, you have been sent an email with the pertinent information. That will be all. Good hunting."

"The port is full of various items of cargo," Chuck complained. How are we supposed to identify what we are after?"

"We'll use the computer you are carrying around in that noggin of yours, idiot."

"The good news is that we have a ball park," said Sarah. "We won't have to scour the entire area."

"So, when do we go in?"

"Right now. I'll go change," she said.

"I'll be reading the brief."

"I'll go get my guns," said Casey. "Just in case."

-o-

"Where did Graham say that this cargo will be?"

"It should be right around here."

"Oh. And where exactly is here? I mean, where are we?"

"Will you shut up, Moron?"

"We are in the cargo transit area, Chuck."

"It should be somewhere in that lot up ahead, Walker. You and Bartowski look for the item. I'll secure the area."

"Be careful, Casey."

"I'm always careful, Bartowski."

Later…

"Well, Chuck?"

"Sarah, I've looked at every container and cargo crate in the area. Nothing triggered a flash."

"Looks like the mission is a bust."

"Yeah… Hey, where is Casey?"

"He's still looking around, covering us."

"Sarah?"

"Yes?"

"Is that warehouse over there a part of the lot?"

"I don't know…"

"There's a map here… Yes, it is. Let's check it out."

"I'll go in first." Sarah deftly picked the lock, drew her gun and stealthily entered the warehouse. "Come in, it's all clear," she called a couple of minutes later.

"There's not much in here," he said, walking around the floor. Suddenly… "Sarah, I just flashed! That crate over there is the one we're looking for."

"Let's see what's in it." She tossed him a crowbar and took one herself. Together they opened one side of the crate. Inside there was a huge capsule-shaped container – with a timer.

"That doesn't look good…"

"No time to call the bomb squad. Chuck, run! I'll stay and try to defuse it."

"No! I'm not leaving you alone, Sarah. Maybe the Intersect can help."

"Did you flash?"

"I'll try," he said and focused on the timer and its keypad. "Come on, flash! Show me how to disarm it! Flash, dammit, flash!" All the while Sarah was trying to figure out which wires to cut.

"Chuck, it's not working! GO!"

"No!"

"The Intersect is too valuable to lose. Go! Get out of here or I shoot!" She aimed her gun at him in desperation.

"Look at what you are doing! You are going to shoot me to prevent me from being blown up? Great plan, Agent Walker!"

"Why are you so stubborn?"

"Actually I consider this a rare moment of courage! I don't know where it's coming from, I guess you just bring out the worst in me!"

"And you in me!" Sarah said, finally putting her gun away and stepping closer to Chuck. The timer started beeping to announce that less than ten seconds were left. Chuck and Sarah looked at it.

"It was nice knowing you," he told her, as they turned back to look at each other. He closed his eyes. Sarah reached up, took his face in her hands and kissed him. She didn't know why she was doing it, only that she really wanted to do it. And he was kissing her back, too. They were both kissing passionately, desperately until they realized that there was no cataclysmic explosion, no searing ball of fire and then oblivion. Whatever that thing was, it was not a bomb. They opened their eyes again.

"Well, the good news is that we are alive," she said. "And the bad news is that this is kind of an uncomfortable moment right now."

"It was completely comfortable on my end. Just saying," he replied. Sarah, like him, was breathing heavily. She had screwed up as a handler, again, as she berated herself. But it had seemed so right when she kissed him. Chuck's voice brought her back to reality. "It's empty!"

"What? Let me see!" The capsule had opened and she could see various items of medical equipment inside. "This is for transporting patients in very critical condition who would otherwise not survive being moved," she deduced.

"Yeah, but where's the patient?"

"Well, there's no one in here. My guess is that it somehow activated itself while being handled and just exhausted its life support system oxygen supply."

"Who was it intended for?"

"Whoever it was for, it was someone who could afford it."

"Bartowski, Walker, did you find it?" Casey asked as he finally found them. Sarah wordlessly indicated the now empty capsule.

There was definitely someone in here," Chuck said after closely examining the interior of the capsule.

"But where did this person go?" Sarah asked.

"And who was it?" Casey added.

"There." They followed Chuck's pointing finger and saw a security camera nestled among the roof girders.

"I'll go find the tape."

"I'll call it in," Sarah said.

"And I'm going to wait in the car," Chuck yawned.

"Go home and get some rest, Chuck. We'll take it from here."

"See you tomorrow then. Goodnight."

Sarah arranged for a tactical team to secure the area and remove the patient pod. As one doctor told her, it was top of the line equipment and extremely expensive to acquire and at the same time very economical to operate. Casey found the security office and summarily confiscated the digital tapes from the camera that interested them. They returned to Castle together and Casey popped the most recent tape in a player. He fast forwarded it until they saw the capsule lid open. Slowing to normal speed, he zoomed in on the image of the person groggily getting out.

"It's Bryce!" Sarah gasped.

"I didn't kill him?" Casey was just as dumbfounded.

In the morning Chuck opened the office as usual. But as time passed and Sarah did not show up, he started getting worried. He was about to call her when she shuffled into his office, looking haggard.

"Sarah! Are you all right?" He steered her to the couch and made her sit down. She was unconsciously playing with a button on her suit jacket. "What's wrong, Sarah? Talk to me, please."

"Bryce is alive," she said simply, her voice almost a whisper.

"Come again?"

"Bryce is alive," she repeated. "He was the one in the medical pod. Apparently the sedative drip cut out and he woke up before he was supposed to."

"How is that possible, Sarah? I mean, we went to his funeral for crying out loud!"

"I don't know," she said tiredly. "Casey and I reported it and there will be a team assigned to look into the matter."

"That team won't be us?"

"No, we have other priorities."

"But, Sarah, this is Bryce we are talking about! My old college buddy. Your former partner and…"

"We have our orders. Besides, he could be halfway across the country by now."

"There is another thing… The kiss last night, it was…"

"It should have never happened, Chuck. I'm sorry. It was very unprofessional of me. I failed as a handler and it's the third time I've done it. It was a mistake, my mistake." She got up and went to her office. Chuck did not follow her. Instead he analyzed her statement. She was right, it had been unprofessional of her and he knew that Sarah Walker was above all a professional. But the important thing was that she hadn't attempted to deny that there was actually something between them, feelings that led to the kiss. She could deny it as much as she wanted, but her eyes betrayed her. He smiled. There was still hope for them, it seemed, and he was determined not to let that hope die. The first thing he decided to do was send her downstairs to Castle to get some solid sleep after reminding her about the Thanksgiving dinner with Ellie, Awesome, Morgan, Alex and Casey.

-o-

"Why did you do it, Walker?" Casey asked her in Castle after she woke up.

"Why did I do what?"

"I watched the recording. I saw you play tonsil hockey with the Nerd. I guess his lips were the most convenient at the time, huh?"

"Casey… I don't know what came over me back there."

"Never mind," he said dismissively. "We still have Ellie's turkey to look forward to," he added. It elicited a small smile from her.

-o-

Thanksgiving dinner at the Bartowski/Woodcomb residence was a memorable occasion. Casey had even helped Devon stuff the turkey. Sarah, despite her earlier behavior had helped Ellie in the kitchen and was now playing the part of the loving girlfriend to perfection. Morgan also introduced Alex, who had made an excellent green bean casserole, to everyone else, and they took a liking to her from the start, even Casey, who had arrived last. She had also felt drawn to the big man.

"So, Ellie," Alex said, "Morgan tells me that your Thanksgiving specialty, besides the turkey, is sweet potatoes with marshmallows."

"It has been a staple of Bartowski Thanksgivings since, well, forever," Morgan interjected.

"I'd love to try them."

"I'll go get them."

"Let me help."

"Chuck," Ellie called from the kitchen, "did you get the marshmallows?"

"Uh, yeah."

'They are not in here."

"They must be in my car. I'll just be a sec," he said and got up from the table. He was returning to the apartment with two bags of marshmallows in his hands when a lone figure appeared from the shadows.

"Hello Chuck."

"Bryce! What the Hell are you doing here? Never mind that now, it's good to see you alive and well."

"Thanks. It was close, but I made it through. Is this your place?"

"Yep. Ellie, her boyfriend and I share it."

"You still live with your sister?"

"These are tough times, Bryce. Splitting the rent three ways helps save money."

"You've got a valid point there. Look, I need to talk to Sarah. Can you arrange it?"

"Bryce…"

"Let me talk to her. I can prove I'm not rogue."

"Okay," Chuck said hesitantly. "You and I also need to have a talk."

"I'll explain everything. I'll be waiting in your room," Bryce said and Chuck nodded before going inside. He handed the marshmallows to Ellie and Alex and leaned down to kiss Sarah.

"Bryce is waiting for you in my room," he whispered in her ear. Fortunately, she managed not to let the shock show.

"Excuse me," she said and got up.

"Hello Sarah," Bryce said when she entered Chuck's room. "I need your help."

"I can't help you, Bryce. You are a rogue agent. I have to take you in. Do I need to use my gun?"

"I'm not rogue and I can prove it."

"How can I believe you, Bryce?"

In the meantime, Casey noticed that Sarah was gone too long. He shot a questioning look to Chuck, who shrugged. There was definitely something amiss there, so he excused himself and went to investigate. Bryce heard him coming and turned to leave through the Morgan Door.

"Bryce, wait," Sarah said.

"What's going on in here, Walker?" Casey asked as he entered, gun drawn.

"I had it under control until you showed up."

"It was Larkin, wasn't it?"

"Hey, no guns at Thanksgiving," Chuck said as he entered his room.

"Did you know about this, Moron?"

"Casey, he came to us willingly. We should at least listen to him."

"I'll check the premises. You call it in from my place."

Chuck and Sarah stepped into the courtyard and suddenly he saw the lights in Casey's apartment coming on.

"Sarah, why is someone in Casey's apartment?" She didn't reply. Instead she took her shoes off and silently padded inside, Chuck following behind her. Bryce was inside, trying to access the computer system. He heard the slight squeak of Chuck's shoes and whirled around, gun at the ready to find Sarah's S&W aimed at him.

"Stand down, Bryce," she commanded.

"Sarah, listen to me, please."

"Put the gun down!"

"Guys," Chuck said as Sarah's arm prevented him from moving forward, "lower your weapons, both of you." Incredibly, they obeyed. Bryce set his Beretta down on a table and stepped back. "Good. Tell us what's going on."

"I was approached by an outfit called Fulcrum, special access group inside the CIA."

"You're lying," Sarah said, her gun going up again. "We'd know about it."

"They knew who I was, my record, my activation codes, everything… They wanted me to shed my agency contacts and go deep. They wanted to do an internal strike, to download and destroy the Intersect. Fulcrum had plans for using the whole system."

"Why Chuck?"

"Yeah, why me?"

"I needed a friend who wasn't a spy… someone who wouldn't know anything about Fulcrum, the Intersect, or Sand Wall."

_An __office building_

_The Intersect Room_

_Schematics_

_Outline of Operation Sand Wall_

_Go codes for the operation_

_An office building_

"Sand Wall… that was the name of the mission…"

"Did you flash?"

"Yeah. Sarah, I think he's telling the truth," Chuck said and Sarah finally put her gun away. At that moment Casey entered.

"Freeze, Larkin!" The only reason he didn't shoot was because Bryce was clearly unarmed.

"You want to try again, Casey?"

"Stop it! Casey, Chuck flashed. Bryce isn't rogue."

"Okay, now, let's just all sit down and we'll talk like civilized people. No guns," Chuck said and the others nodded. "Good. Bryce, how are you still alive?"

"I don't know how they did it."

"And who are _they_?"

"Fulcrum."

"Do you know why they kept you alive?"

"Yes."

"Should I pop some popcorn, or beat the answer out of you?"

"No thanks, Casey. I'll talk."

"Darn."

"They think I'm the Intersect."

"Then they don't know that you sent it to Chuck."

"No. At least we have that going for us."

"Bryce, why did you send it to me? I mean, I know you went to some lengths to keep me out of the CIA and, believe me, I'm grateful, but why did you change your mind now? And what was that about Casey trying again? Crap, Casey, you were the one who shot him, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"Did Sarah know?"

"I read Casey's report, Chuck."

"Back to the main subject: I had no one left to trust. Sarah was undercover and out of reach and there are indications that someone in Graham's staff is a member of Fulcrum. I had to act fast, so I initiated Sand Wall."

"The contingency plan for the emergency, um, relocation of the Intersect, in case it was compromised," Chuck explained.

"Does the intel recall always work so fast, Chuck?" Bryce asked.

"Oh yes. And the expansion pack, too. Nice idea adding it to the email. It has helped on occasion."

"Glad to hear it. Now I have to turn myself in to the real CIA. Fulcrum has moles everywhere."

"He must talk to Graham," Chuck suggested.

"Later. We should be getting back to Chuck's place before the others start worrying about our absence," Sarah said.

Fortunately, Ellie, Devon, Morgan and Alex had been enjoying themselves too much to question where the rest had been for the last ten minutes. Bryce had stayed at Casey's. He was supposed to be dead, so he couldn't show his face to the civilians, two and possibly three of whom knew him from Chuck's Stanford days. Chuck promised to get him something to eat later, after everyone else had gone to bed. Casey also suggested, and Sarah agreed, that she should stay with Chuck for the night.

"You don't know how happy I am that Bryce is alive and well," Chuck said as he climbed into bed beside Sarah.

"And he's not rogue, which is quite a relief," she added. "I didn't know he liked Ellie's cooking so much. He really enjoyed the food."

"He's been a fan of Ellie's cooking since Stanford. Anyway, we should get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a really long day. Sweet dreams, Sarah."

"Goodnight Chuck."

In the morning Chuck woke up and found Sarah holding on to him in her sleep, one of her legs wrapped around his own. He relaxed and savored the moment. A few seconds later the alarm clock started ringing. Sarah opened her eyes and bolted upright when she realized why she'd been feeling that warm and pleasant sensation all night.

"Good morning Chuck," she said blushing and ran to the bathroom. Chuck just lay back and clasped his hands behind his head, smiling. Carina had been right. Sarah wanted him; she just didn't know it yet.

He and Sarah drove to work in their own cars. He worked for a couple of hours and then snuck downstairs to Castle. Casey and Bryce had just arrived and were waiting for Graham and Beckman to contact them. Sarah joined them just before the briefing was about to start. The screen came on and the look on their superiors' faces was priceless when they saw Bryce.

"Agent Larkin?" Graham asked, stunned. Casey had told them that Bryce was alive, but they never expected to see him so soon.

"Hello sir." Quickly, he proceeded to outline the events that had led to him being there. When he finished, the two directors were lost in thought.

"Are you saying that Fulcrum has infiltrated the CIA Director's staff?"

"Not just the CIA, General. But their encroachment is more extensive in the CIA, since they started out from there. I wouldn't be surprised if they have people in the NSA as well."

"We need to speak with you alone, Bryce. Agent Walker, Major Casey, Mr. Bartowski, please give us a few minutes." Obediently, Chuck, Sarah and Casey exited the main room. Chuck was called inside for a while and when he came back out he went straight to the medicine cabinet and downed some aspirin. Sarah shot him a concerned look.

"I'll be OK," he said. "I just had some really intense flashes. On the plus side, I was able to identify a few highly placed Fulcrum moles in the CIA."

Bryce then came out.

"I have my new mission," he said. "I am going after Fulcrum, alone, under the radar."

"Sounds like heaven," Casey said, with just a hint of envy in his voice.

"As long as they keep after me, Chuck should be safe. Can I talk to you in private for a while?"

"Sure." Chuck led Bryce to a side room.

"Look, I'd like to apologize again for making that comment about living with your sister… What you've done with the Intersect so far is nothing short of extraordinary."

"And you are still the super spy."

"Chuck, I have one friend in this world. You have a home, an office and a Buy More full of them."

"What happens now, Bryce?"

"Bryce Larkin will have to stay dead. Wish me good hunting." They bumped fists and went to rejoin Sarah and Casey. "One more thing," Bryce said. "I have an informant inside Fulcrum. I'm telling you about her so that you won't blow her cover accidentally, should you meet her."

"Who is she?" Sarah asked.

"Her codename is Sand Storm." At the mention of the code name, Chuck flashed.

"Jill? Holy crap, Jill is a spy?"

"Who's Jill?"

"Sarah, Jill Roberts is the girlfriend I had in college. I'll tell you about what the Intersect has on her later."

"She was recruited shortly after you graduated. You two had already broken up by then. Fortunately, I got wind of it and managed to convince her to work for the real CIA with me. She was the one who told me about Fulcrum's plans for the Intersect."

"Blows the mind."

"Guys, I have to be going now. Sarah, take care of Chuck. He's my only friend."

"No, Bryce, he's _a_ friend. I'd like you to consider me your friend, too."

"I'll be more than happy to." They hugged. "We'll always have Omaha," he said and winked. Then he shook hands with Casey.

"Good hunting Larkin."

"Keep up the good work here, Casey." He then shook Chuck's hand and gave him a bro hug. "Give them hell, Agent Bartowski."

"Be careful out there, Bryce."

Sarah escorted Bryce to a car they had procured for him. Chuck stayed with Casey to review the first dailies. When he finished he looked up.

"I wonder what Bryce meant by Omaha, outside of it being some weird Casablanca reference."

"I guess it's code, contact point of some sort, for emergencies. Bryce is going deep, so communication through normal channels will not be possible."

For the rest of the day Chuck was happily writing segments of code for his new game. He was glad that Bryce wasn't dead and he now also had some answers he'd desperately needed. A few minutes after five in the afternoon he sent Morgan and Sarah home and then went to do the rest of the dailies with Casey.

In her hotel room Sarah wanted to relax and take her mind off work for a while. So, she drew herself a warm bubble bath and enjoyed it with the amicable company of a glass of good wine, a comic book she'd found in the office lounge and some soft music from a selection Chuck had made for her.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** This is going to be the last update for a (hopefully short) while, so here's a mix of comical situations and family stuff.

* * *

**Chapter 10 – Daddy Issues**

The alarm clock started blaring at 0930, pulling Sarah from her pleasant dream of Chuck making sweet love to her and back into reality. She rolled on her back and pulled her sleep mask off. The sun shone directly into her still sleep fogged eyes as she glanced at the display on the clock face. She was definitely not a morning person, and her blurry vision read the time as being only 0530. She was pissed (and aroused, too). No alarm clock disrupts the beauty sleep and sweet dreams of Sarah fucking Walker for no good reason and gets away with it. Her hand went under the pillow, where she kept a fighting knife, just in case. In a fluid, practiced move she hurled it at the offending gadget, impaling it to the wall and silencing it for good. Satisfied with the result, she pulled the comforter over her and went back to sleep.

-o-

"Good morning Casey," Chuck said as he stepped into the big man's office.

"You seen Walker anywhere?" Casey asked brusquely.

"I thought she was here with you."

"She's not. And her car is not in its usual spot, either."

"That's odd." Chuck took his phone out and tried to call Sarah. It went straight to voicemail. "She's not answering the phone. I'll try later, just in case she can't get a signal."

"Or she could have had enough of the good life here with you and hightailed it to wherever your buddy Bryce is holed up."

"Is that an option?"

"Don't worry, Chuck. I hear there is a great selection of new handlers in this year's CIA holiday catalog." He was definitely going to enjoy pulling the Moron's leg. He had not been contacted and briefed on any reassignment for Sarah.

"You are a funny guy, Casey… Voicemail again," Chuck said as he once again attempted to call her. "What if something happened to her?"

"I'll try to call her in her hotel." He picked up the telephone handset from his desk and dialed Sarah's number. "She's not answering. Damn! This is not like Walker at all. There's something very wrong here." In fact, Sarah was back in dreamland, blissfully unaware that she had forgotten to recharge her cell phone battery and that the cable of her room phone had been accidentally disconnected.

While Chuck was freaking out and Casey was getting more worried with every passing minute, Sarah finally woke up. She pushed herself off the bed and padded to the bathroom still wearing just the red top and blue striped panties she'd slept in, yawning all the way there. After splashing some cold water on her face, she felt ready to start her day. Well, almost ready, as she hadn't had her first coffee yet. Going back to the bedroom, she grinned satanically when she saw the results of her earlier handiwork. As she slipped her watch on around her wrist she casually glanced at it and froze. Her good mood was abruptly replaced by shock. She was two hours late for work. Immediately springing into action, she grabbed various items of clothing from her closet and got dressed. She somehow managed not to sprain her ankles as she put her shoes on while running towards the elevator or cause traffic accidents while speeding to work. In her rush to get to the office, one of her heels caught on the door mat and she went flying through the (fortunately) open door and into Chuck's arms. She almost knocked him over, but he managed to stay on his feet and grab her before she fell.

"Whoa there, Sarah! Take it easy! Where have you been, anyway? Casey and I were getting worried."

"Sorry, Chuck, I overslept," she said sheepishly.

"Oh. Don't let it happen again, Ms. Walker," he said in his best employer voice.

"It won't." She noticed that she was still pressed against him, his arms circling her waist and her hands on his broad shoulders. She took a step back and reflexively smoothed her skirt. "Is there anything you need me to do?"

"Just let Casey know you are here."

-o-

"Casey, I'm here," she said as she went in the NSA agent's cover business office.

"Where the hell have you been, Walker? The Moron and I called you about a dozen times."

"I didn't hear any phones ringing."

"Check your phone for the missed calls."

"Hold on." She took her phone out and… "Nothing."

"What are you talking about?" He grabbed the phone from her hand and tried to turn it on. "Did you recharge it?"

"Huh?"

*grunt* (Stupid skirt)

"I forgot," she offered lamely. She dreaded the look he was giving her. Above all she feared that he could ask for her reassignment, which would be a huge blow to her career and her ego, as Sarah Walker had never before failed on a mission.

"Listen Walker, you have to get your head back in the game."

"Did you ever want a normal life, have a family, children?" Sarah asked suddenly.

"We made a choice; the choice to protect something bigger than ourselves, which was the right choice."

"Do you think I'm compromised?"

"It wouldn't surprise me. This assignment is so screwed up by our normal standards that it is hard not to. The Moron's hybrid status is enough of a complication in itself. You like him, don't you? Admit it, you have feelings for him."

"I'll only admit to having feelings."

"You admit to having feelings _in general_… Come on, I know you can't keep your chocolate out of his peanut butter. By all rights I should ask for you to be reassigned. You've given me plenty of ammunition for that. But I won't. You know why? Because you are a good agent, Walker. We have not been working together for very long, but you have my back the way I have yours. Plus, the way things are, finding someone else to be the Nerd's cover girlfriend will be almost impossible in all respects. You are training him well, too."

"Thank you. I mean it."

"Don't mention it, seriously. One more thing; play your cards right and you won't have to pussy-foot around the issue for much longer."

"Can you please explain?"

"The way things are going, Bartowski will soon be a qualified agent. Do the math. Now go make sure that he doesn't get in trouble. And recharge your phone battery."

-o-

Sarah was sitting behind her desk, appearing busy with arranging the company's participation in a game fair and an interview with a computer gaming magazine for Chuck. In reality, her mind was racing. On one hand, when Chuck would make agent status, one obstacle to acting on their feelings for each other, and she knew for a fact that these feelings were mutual, would be removed. On the other hand, it scared her more than anything else. It wasn't just her fear of commitments. She was worried about Chuck. She was afraid that he could lose his endearing innocence, all the things that made him great.

When she finished with her assigned tasks she had nothing left to do for the rest of her work day, so she continued playing her favorite computer game and after completing yet another level she did something with Photoshop. She thought that the end result was good.

"Hey Sarah," Chuck said as he entered her office. "How are you doing?"

"I finalized the arrangements for next month's game fair and also the details for your interview."

"You did all that already?"

"I also did this," she said and printed the picture she'd been working on. "You and I, together at Comic Con. You like it?"

"It's perfect," he replied when he saw the doctored photo of the two of them, him dressed as Han Solo and her as Princess Leia.

"Thank you."

"But we've never been to Comic Con…"

"I know. I was just fooling around with Photoshop. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"I want to go to Comic Con, see what the fuss is all about. Can you take me there some day, show me around?"

"Excuse me? You are willing to attend a nerd convention?"

"I've been playing your games and reading your comic books to pass the time. Does that make me a nerd?"

"I don't know… But if it does, you are the most beautiful badass Nerd ever."

"You know how to compliment a lady," Sarah laughed. "Now, get your butt downstairs. You have a training session with Casey."

"Yes ma'am."

-o-

Morgan had gone home and Sarah closed up shop at Orion before heading across the street to Casey's. She knocked and entered. Casey was walking stiffly to his desk carrying some files. He acknowledged her presence with a nod.

"What happened to you?" Sarah asked.

"The Intersect kicked my ass."

"Come again? Chuck did this to you?"

"No, it was not Bartowski. He was just the puppet. The damn computer in his brain was pulling the strings. Luckily for me he managed to control it."

"Dress it up any way you want, but the fact remains that Chuck kicked your ass. Where is he, by the way?"

"He's working on the intel review downstairs."

"Is there anything you need me for?"

"Not at this time. I'll call you if anything comes up."

"OK. See you."

-o-

The following day Chuck was walking to his car while whistling a happy tune. Ellie and Devon had still not returned from their shift at the hospital, so he'd locked the door to the apartment and was now fumbling in his pockets for his car keys. Casey came out into the courtyard just then.

"Good morning," Chuck said cheerfully.

"Good morning Bartowski."

"Are you OK? I mean, after yesterday…"

"I'm fine. Walker called a few minutes ago. She won't be coming to work today."

"Is she all right? She's not sick or anything?" Chuck asked.

"She's taking a personal day."

"We get personal days?"

"We do," Casey said, meaning himself and Sarah. "You don't."

"Did she tell you what it's about?"

"Yes."

"Well?"

"It's personal," came the cryptic reply.

While driving to work Chuck was wondering what would cause Sarah to take a day off for personal reasons. At least she wasn't sick. She was working hard both in her real and her cover jobs, so she really deserved a break, but she could have called him. Whatever she was up to, it was not spy stuff related. Otherwise she'd just tell them that she was needed for a side mission, maybe even ask him to take a look at the details and see if they caused a flash.

"The place is not the same without Sarah around, dude," Morgan remarked while they were sorting some orders they had gotten. "She hasn't been working here for long, but she's definitely left her mark."

"I know, but she needed to take the day off and I couldn't say no."

"Did she say what she was going to do?"

"No and I didn't ask. I trust her and I respect her need for privacy."

"Aren't you the least bit curious?"

"Curiosity has nothing to do with it, Morgan. But then again, discretion is not one of your virtues."

"Ah, but I have other virtues to compensate for the lack of that particular one."

"Well said, buddy," Chuck agreed.

Still, his curiosity was piqued and since Casey had given him the afternoon off from training he drove by Sarah's hotel after wrapping it up at the office and parked nearby. Then he saw her. She looked positively stunning in the black dress and matching shawl. She had even done her hair differently, bunching it up but letting some ringlets cascade down. _Damn, she's beautiful as ever_, Chuck thought. But she was not alone. There was a man with her, a much older man. Who was he? A mark? Was she on a mission, after all? No, she wouldn't compromise her private residence on a mission. He watched as the man held the door of his Chrysler convertible open for her after draping his suit jacket around her shoulders and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Although deep down he knew it was irrational, he was insanely jealous, so he followed them to a restaurant. He took a table where he could keep an eye on them, but they couldn't easily see him. The older man laid a hand on her arm and as he did so Chuck saw a small scar on which he promptly flashed. Sarah's… date had a criminal record. This was bad, really bad, but she looked totally at ease. He had to keep in mind that she was a trained spy. And as a trained spy, she had her phone within easy reach. She definitely did not want a repeat of yesterday's screw up.

Sarah took a look at the display when the waiter brought them the menus and frowned. It told her that Chuck's watch tracking device was very close and wherever the watch was, Chuck was as well. She looked around and spotted him. Excusing herself from the man she was with, she made her way over to Chuck's table.

"Chuck, what are you doing here?"

"Same thing you are," he answered.

"Meaning?"

"I came here to eat. Morgan gave this place high marks and I wanted to check it out. Hell, you were with me when he recommended it. How did you find me, anyway?"

"Your watch, Chuck," she said with an exasperated sigh.

"Well, it was a surprise seeing you here," he said, keeping to the story he'd just concocted. He hated lying to anyone, especially his loved ones and Sarah was definitely a person he loved, but he hoped he was convincing.

"It's fair to say that I was surprised to see you too."

"By the way, you should know that the much older gentleman you are dining with has a record. I flashed on him. He's got a criminal record as long as my… It's long."

"All true," the older gentleman said. He'd seen Sarah talk to the young man and decided to see what was going on. "But I'm an excellent dancer."

"Chuck," Sarah said, "I'd like you to meet my Dad, Jack Burton. Dad, this is my boyfriend Charles Bartowski."

"Would you like to join us, Charlie?"

"I came here for dinner in the first place. So yes, I'd like that, sir."

"Call me Jack."

Over dinner Chuck learned a lot of things about Sarah and her childhood. The parts about her helping her dad with his schemes were interesting and sometimes funny. Jack Burton might be a criminal, but he really adored his family. The way he was doting on his younger daughter was proof enough.

After dinner they went their separate ways, Chuck to his place and Sarah back to her hotel with her dad. He had booked a room there.

"Darling, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, daddy, what is it?" They went to her room and sat down.

"Angel, as I already told you, I'm out of the con business for good."

"You didn't say why though."

"I am getting too old, plain and simple."

"Okay," she said.

"But I want you to tell me the truth, kiddo. Are you working an angle here? I mean, this place, your name, Sarah Walker, that schnook Chippy…"

"Chuck, Dad, his name is Chuck. And he's not a schnook."

"Come on kid, he's a Class-A schnook. What con are you trying to pull on him? I know for a fact that he's doing rather well."

"How do you know that?"

"I lifted his ATM card and a business card from his wallet. Here, take it and give it back to him. I wanted to check him out, and now I'm really worried. I never wanted this life for you. You should have stayed with your mother and Carina to begin with. I still don't know how you managed to talk me into coming with me."

"Dad, I'm not working on a con. I work for Chuck as his company's marketing and PR manager."

"I don't believe you," he said flatly. "You are a good liar. I know, I taught you myself, but you could never lie to me. You are still hiding something from me. Tell me everything, now."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can. Darling, I've been to jail and it isn't a nice place, believe me. I don't want you ending up in there or worse."

"There is no danger of that happening, ever."

"Then tell me, or I'm leaving right this minute."

"Daddy, please, I can't. It's not about you, I just can't tell anyone."

"Sa- Sarah… I promise I'll take whatever secret you tell me to my grave. I'll never betray you."

"Summer of 98," she said. She knew she could trust Jack with her secret.

"When I got arrested?"

"Yes. The man who arrested you…"

"Langston Graham."

"Yes. He made me a job offer."

"And you took it?" Jack said angrily, rising from his seat. "The bastard! He should have left you alone. I'll kill him when I get my hands on him!"

"Dad, please sit down." She knew that he was perfectly capable of carrying out the threat. He never wanted anyone to mess with his family. "The fact remains that I am a CIA agent. Thanks to Graham I went to Harvard and I like to think that I have done some good for the country."

"Yes, but at what cost? It's very dangerous and you've had to kill people, I imagine."

"I had. But they all deserved it. That makes it a bit easier."

"So, is Charlie with the CIA, too?"

"He's a contractor," she replied cautiously.

"That will suffice. I don't want to know too much." He hugged her. "Thanks for being honest with me." He then saw her murdered alarm clock. "Did you do that?"

"Yes. You taught me my knife skills, remember?"

"Remind me never to annoy you, Angel." They both laughed. He kissed his little girl goodnight and retired to his room.

In the morning Sarah's father woke her up and waited outside until she got dressed. When she let him back in her room, he admired her business suit and brought something with him.

"I brought you your favorite breakfast, Angel; French toast, whipped cream, fresh strawberries and orange juice."

"Daddy, you're so sweet, but this was my favorite breakfast when I was twelve."

"What's changed?"

"I need coffee, too."

"I thought so," he said and produced a pot full of coffee.

"Now you're talking," she said smiling as he poured her a cup.

After breakfast she drove to work as usual. Chuck had not come in yet, which was odd, until she remembered that he was supposed to be meeting with a potential big customer who was interested in the range of office software Orion was selling. A big contract like that would certainly help and the good word about their products the customer was certain to put in with his associates wouldn't hurt business either. She checked in with Casey and sifted through the emails they had gotten. The dailies went to a separate folder, while the business emails went to another. She then opened them one by one, read them and replied to them or forwarded them to Chuck or Morgan for further consideration.

Morgan called her to his office an hour later to consult on advertising. She saw him pacing around the room, his jacket off, tie loosened and shirt sleeves rolled up, running a hand over his beard, apparently deep in thought.

"You wanted to see me, Morgan?"

"Yes, Sarah, please take a seat. I went over your proposal for advertising our products and I must say that the concept is definitely appealing. Hiring you was one of the best moves Chuck made."

"Thank you." She smiled widely at the compliment. "But I sense a caveat coming."

"I don't know if we can afford to do such an event, even with the help from the company that will be handling the distribution."

"It's a calculated risk, Morgan. The gaming magazines have already been giving us good publicity after the conference in San Francisco; in fact it's become the most awaited game of the year."

"Yeah, but it still looks expensive."

"I suggest we run it by Chuck later, when he comes back. But I'll take what you told me into serious consideration. Perhaps you or he can come up with a way to lower the costs."

"I'll look into it."

"I suppose that we could always find another convenient venue."

"I got it! Ha-ha! I can get us a place for free!"

"Really? That's great! Where?"

"Did Chuck ever tell you about where we worked before we started Orion Games & Software?"

"I know that you both used to work at a Buy More."

"Exactly. I can talk the manager of the Burbank Buy More into letting us host the event there. He won't say no since it means hefty sales. Think about it: the first release of the game happening in his store!"

"I like your thinking."

"There is another plus to it. That idiot Barclay is gonna eat his heart out!"

"Who's Barclay?"

"He's the Ass Man – assistant manager – of the Beverly Hills Buy More. The relations between the two branches are not exactly friendly. Also, the Buy More Plaza here in Burbank is more suited to what we're planning."

"In what way, exactly?"

"There will be eager people queuing to buy the game. In fact some will camp outside the place two to three days before the scheduled release. You don't know the lengths geeks will go to in order to be the first to get their hands on a good game. But Chuck and I do. It can work." He was so enthusiastic that he led her in a brief dance around the office.

"Hey you two, what's going on?" Chuck asked. He'd just returned from his business meeting and had good news.

"Chuck!" Morgan exclaimed and jumped on his best friend, clinging to him like a koala to a tree. "How did it go?"

"It went fine, little buddy. What were you celebrating here?"

"Oh, that," Morgan said, getting off of Chuck. Placing a hand on Sarah's back, he gently pushed her close to Chuck. "Kiss your girl first, dude." The faux couple smiled at each other. "Come on," Morgan urged impatiently. Sarah pulled Chuck down to her by his tie and pressed her lips against his.

"Morgan and I worked something out," she said after the kiss.

"She had a wonderful idea for the 38th Parallel release event."

"And Morgan found the ideal venue. It's not going to cost us a cent."

"Really? Tell me all about it," Chuck said. The others proceeded to explain Sarah's idea and Morgan's suggestion to hold the event at the Buy More. Chuck was so enthusiastic about it that he pulled them both into a big hug and kissed Sarah again.

They got so caught up in discussing the plan at length – and approving it, that lunch time came before they realized it.

"Lunch at the diner?" Chuck suggested.

"Sure. I'll just be a minute," Sarah said and went to her office to pick up her purse.

"We can also ask John to join us," said Morgan.

"Not a bad idea at all, Morgan. I'll go tell him." He went across the street and told Casey, who accepted.

At the diner the four took a booth in a corner and waited for someone to come and take their order. That someone was Alex. Morgan immediately rose from his seat and gave her a quick kiss.

"Hello everyone," Alex said brightly. They returned the greeting.

"Um, Alex, we weren't properly introduced at Thanksgiving," Casey said and stuck out a massive paw. "John Casey."

"Alex McHugh," she said as her small delicate hand disappeared in Casey's grip. At that precise moment someone called Alex and she turned, thus missing the look of total shock that briefly played across Casey's face before his agent instincts helped him recover from it. Sarah had noticed it however, as had Chuck. When Alex turned to them again to ask them what they would be having, Casey's face had its normal expression back on.

During the meal everyone was acting normal, but there was an undercurrent of tension. Something had clearly upset Casey, although he was trying hard to hide it, and Chuck and Sarah were curious to know what it was. Apparently it had something to do with Alex, but the question was why.

"Sarah, what's wrong with Casey?" Chuck asked when they got back to the office.

"I don't know. But he looked like he'd seen a ghost."

"Yeah… something about Alex spooked him big time. He freaked out when he heard her name."

"It must be something from his past. I wonder if the Intersect has anything on it."

"No, Sarah. It's personal."

"You are right, Chuck, absolutely right. But he's my partner and if it compromises our cover or the missions we need to know."

"We can ask him."

"Let's go." She took his hand and led him to Casey's office. They found him sitting behind his desk, an open bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label in front of him and contemplatively looking at the amber liquid in a glass.

"What is it, Walker?"

"I don't know, Casey. You tell us."

"Yeah," Chuck said. "What's the matter with Alex?"

"I'll go out on a limb and say that you know her family, her father most likely," Sarah said.

"Did you meet him in the Marines or in the NSA?" Chuck asked.

Casey sighed, emptied the glass and set it down on the desk before reaching for the bottle to refill it. "It's a long story," he said simply.

"You can count on our discretion," Sarah said. "But it will help if you get it off your chest. We won't press the issue if you don't want to tell us, but if there is something that can potentially affect the assignment… Neither of us wants to resort to the Intersect and try to find out…"

"Sit down, both of you," he said and took another sip of his whiskey. "Drink?"

"No, thanks," they said in unison as they sat down.

"You are right… After all, I've read the files on both of you. It's only fair to tell you about me. It's somewhat pertinent to the assignment, too…"

"You can skip the more personal parts, Casey, if it makes it easier for you."

"Thanks for the concern, Chuck." He rose and got a couple more glasses from a cupboard. "Just in case you feel you need a drink," he said. "What do you want to know?"

"Can Alex recognize you and blow your cover?" Sarah asked.

"No." He shook his head. He extracted something from his wallet and looked at it before continuing. "Honduras 1989… a Marine unit was on deployment there. One of the officers was a Lieutenant Alexander Coburn." When Casey mentioned the name, Chuck flashed. "What did you see, Bartowski?"

"Not much. A lot has been redacted from the file. No photo, no personal information, but it says that Lieutenant Coburn, infantry officer and scout sniper, was killed in action in 1989."

"Coburn had a fiancée. He loved her and he was going to marry her. Her name was Kathleen McHugh."

"So, Alex is the daughter of a fallen comrade?"

"Her mother must have been pregnant with her when Lieutenant Coburn was killed," Sarah added.

"We can see why it was such a shock to you, Casey."

"You ain't seen nothing yet, Bartowski. Coburn was reported KIA, was given a hero's funeral, only he wasn't really dead."

"His death was faked?"

"He made a choice between love and love of country without knowing that he was going to become a father. That same day Lieutenant John Casey was recruited into the NSA." He looked at Chuck and Sarah. Both were slack-jawed in shock and looking at him with wide eyes.

"I think I need that whiskey now," Chuck said. "Sarah?" She just nodded and accepted the glass Chuck offered her.

*grunt* (I told you so) "This is Coburn and Kathleen before his last deployment," he said and pushed the snapshots taken in a photo booth so long ago across the desk. Chuck and Sarah huddled together to look at them. They showed a serious LT Coburn and a young woman, Kathleen obviously, who was sticking her tongue out at the camera.

"Alex is your daughter," Chuck managed to say.

"Yeah…" Casey took another long pull of his whiskey.

"You should be proud of her. She's become a fine young woman."

"Thanks, Bartowski."

"Do you want us to stay, or would you like some privacy, Casey?" Sarah asked.

"Thank you both for your support. But I have to start making some plans."

"About what?"

"About killing the bearded buffoon she's dating."

"That's the whiskey talking right now, Casey. Morgan is the perfect gentleman when it comes to Alex."

"And they are a cute couple," Sarah added to be answered with a deep growl from her partner.

"Morgan told me that he met Alex's mother the other day and that she likes him."

"I suppose I don't have the right to intervene."

"You can always reveal yourself to them. They deserve to know the truth."

"What's done is done. Alex Coburn is dead."

"No he isn't. He has a family and they need him. Alex should have her father, trust me. I'm talking from experience."

"We'll discuss the matter again when he's sober. Come on, Chuck. Casey, think about what we told you. " With that they got up and went back to their offices, leaving Casey alone with his thoughts.

"You know, I can relate to Alex in some ways," Chuck said.

"Why, what do you mean?"

"Sarah, I know what it's like to grow up without parents. First my mom left, then my dad. At least I think they are still out there somewhere. Alex never knew her father. It's sad."

"Yes it is. But I trust Casey. He'll make the right decision."

"I know. He'll just have to get over the shock first, but he'll do what he's gotta do."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Sorry for having kept you waiting, but this week was really hectic at work. I hope this longer than usual chapter will be sufficient compensation.

I could not resist the temptation to write the plot below, not with Jack Burton around.

* * *

**Chapter 11 – The Sting**

"I'm really worried, Sarah. What if Casey carries out his threat and kills Morgan?"

"He won't. At the most he'll try to figure a way to scare him away from Alex. And he won't even do that when he sobers up. I do recall him saying at Thanksgiving that they were a nice couple. I'll find the recording and play it to him."

"He also said that having a girlfriend would keep Morgan too busy to poke around and accidentally find out about _us_, in the spy sense of the term."

"He'll never be able to live it down," Sarah said and they both laughed. Her phone rang and she answered it immediately.

"Who was it?" Chuck asked when she hung up. He had retreated to a respectable distance once he realized it was not a business call, spy or otherwise.

"It was my Dad. He was asking if we have any plans for tonight." She was definitely impressed by his gentlemanly manner of giving her some privacy to take the call.

"Did you tell him that we are having dinner with Ellie and Awesome?"

"We are?"

"Didn't I tell you about it?"

"No, Chuck, you didn't."

"Crap. Well, I'm telling you now."

"I know; the Empress has spoken."

"You are learning fast."

"Blame it on the job," she shrugged.

"You can both come, you know."

"I'll tell him."

"Good. I'll let Ellie know."

-o-

"Hey sis," he said when Ellie answered the phone. "I have some news. We'll have an extra guest tonight. Sarah's Dad is in town and-" an excited high-pitched squeal traveled through the airwaves and assaulted his eardrums.

"You did the right thing, Chuck! I'd love to meet him! Gotta go now. I need to go to the store."

"It's official," Chuck spoke into the intercom. "Ellie's adapting the dinner plans to include your Dad."

"I told him and he said yes. Looks like we are in for an interesting evening."

-o-

"How do I look, Angel?"

"You look dashing, Dad," she said, smoothing his tie. "Devon should be careful or you could steal his girlfriend from him."

"Shame on you. She is young enough to be my daughter. She must certainly be not much older than your sister, from what you told me."

"Come on. We'll take my car." She led him to the elevator and pressed the button for the basement garage.

"Is that your car?" Jack asked when he saw the Porsche.

"Yes. Do you like it?"

"Is it, y' know, service issue?"

"No, she's my baby and mine only. I bought her brand new and dirt cheap at an auction, thanks to Carina. The dealership the DEA confiscated her from was a front for a drug running operation."

"I really am a proud father. Both my daughters are on the right side of the law." He hugged her lovingly.

"Come on, get in and buckle up." She started the car and drove up the ramp to the exit. After checking for oncoming traffic, she smoothly swung into the road. Suddenly Jack twisted in his seat, trying to get a better view outside. "Dad, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just saw someone I recognize."

"Anyone I know?"

"I don't think so. I was in Dubai last month and-"

"What were you doing down there?"

"I was working for a businessman who wanted me to check out a potential business partner. One of the good things of being an ex-conman is that I can spot a con from a mile away. To cut a long story short, I saw that man there, Sheik Rajiv Amad."

"Amad? Of the Saudi oil family?"

"My daughter knows her Arabs. Those guys are literally swimming in petrodollars. And from what I heard Amad is not someone you want to cross."

"I wonder what he's doing here," she said frowning.

"I don't think he's here for the sun and sand. They got plenty of that where he's from. My guess is that he wants to spend money here."

"The CIA might be interested in him. I'll call my superiors later and inform them of Amad's presence here."

"OK Angel, enough talking business. I have the family of your beau to meet."

"Dad, Chuck is only my cover boyfriend," she said. He gave her a knowing look but said nothing.

-o-

"Sarah! Glad you could make it, especially since that idiot brother of mine forgot to tell you about tonight's plans earlier. Welcome to Burbank, Mr. Walker. It's a pleasure to meet you." Ellie had enveloped Sarah in a crushing hug as she extended her hand to shake Jack's.

"The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Bartowski." He didn't correct Ellie on the name issue. The less she knew the better. He wasn't about to compromise Sarah's cover.

Ellie then introduced him to Devon and the two men instantly liked each other. The conversation over the pre-dinner cocktails was light hearted and thoroughly enjoyable. Jack knew a lot of good jokes that had everyone laughing. In addition Ellie had found an ally in Jack as they both pushed Chuck and Sarah into being more intimate with each other. Sarah was somewhat uncomfortable with all the attention, but Chuck did a creditable job acting affectionate towards her without going over the top, thus effectively shielding her from the constant prodding, overt and implied. And she was very grateful for it.

"Where is Morgan?" Sarah whispered to Chuck.

"He's on a date with Alex."

"That explains why Casey's not here. He's probably running surveillance on them," she chuckled.

"Should I start getting worried?"

"Nah, eventually he'll see that Morgan is a good man. Perhaps he'll even start accepting him as his daughter's boyfriend."

"Hopefully." Chuck was guardedly optimistic. Casey had given him the impression of being a fair man despite the uncompromising hardass exterior.

Sarah snuck to the bathroom to call Graham and inform him of Amad being in Los Angeles. He thanked her and promised to keep her in the loop should anything come up.

-o-

"Agent Walker, Mr. Bartowski, Major Casey," Beckman began the morning briefing, "you did the right thing reporting the sighting of Amad."

"Immigration and Customs Enforcement have no record of him entering the country. In addition he's been mentioned in several sources as funding various fundamentalist groups, including terrorist organizations. We have been trying to find and freeze his bank accounts for years with no success," Graham said.

"Your mission will be to uncover those accounts by any means necessary," said the General.

"Yes ma'am," the three chorused.

"How do you propose we do that?" Sarah asked.

"Ask your father. He used to be very proficient in his former career," Graham said with a knowing smile. "He knows that you are an agent, so securing his cooperation should not be a problem."

"Are you asking us to commit fraud, sir?"

"Am I?"

"Forget I asked," said Casey.

After the briefing Sarah called her father and asked him to meet her at work. She gave him the necessary directions and then sat down with Chuck going over the new software contract they had secured while waiting for Jack.

-o-

"Nice place you got here, schnook," Jack said approvingly as he took in the Orion offices.

"Um, thank you."

"Dad, let's take it to my office. Before we tell you anything else, Chuck's partner is not in the know, so while you are in here you're just my dad. OK?"

"Sure thing, darling."

While waiting for Casey he read some of the company literature to pass the time. And he was definitely impressed. This would have been the kind of job he'd like his little girl to have, had things been, well, normal. He could tell that she was enjoying working for Chuck. And he was paying her well, too. He'd seen the amount on her paycheck. Casey arrived soon.

"Dad, I'd like you to meet my partner, John Casey," Sarah said.

"He's got a cop face!"

*grunt* (who, me?")

"No offence."

"None taken."

"We can switch names if you like," Chuck said smiling. "I can be Cop Face and you can be Schnook."

"May I ask why you all wanted to see me?"

"Dad, it's about Amad. We have indications that he entered the country illegally, under an alias. Also, we believe that he funds terrorists. Our job is to find his hidden bank accounts and freeze them. This is where you come in. If there is anyone who can do that, it's you."

"So basically you want to pull a con on the sheik."

"In a nutshell, yes, that's what we want."

"I'll do it. It's gonna be fun, conning someone for the greater good," he chuckled. "Schnook!"

"Jack?"

"Run down to the nearest video store and buy a copy of The Sting. It will be your tutorial."

"What kind of help is an old movie going to be?" Casey asked.

"Cop Face, it may be a movie, but the principles for a successful con are there. Darling, we'll need popcorn, pizza and refreshments. And a place to see the movie."

"I'm on it."

Hours later they were in Casey's apartment, the movie having just ended. Jack stepped between the three members of Team Chuck and the TV, took a sip of his Coke and looked at them.

"What did you learn about setting up the mark for the con?"

"We need to find his weakness and take full advantage of it. In the movie it was greed," Chuck said.

"We don't know why Amad is here," Sarah said. "But if we learn that, we can exploit it to our advantage."

"I can get everything we have on him," Casey added.

"That won't be necessary. I think I know why he's here." The others looked expectantly at Jack. "He wants to buy something big. Buying American is a status symbol in the oil rich Gulf countries. He's definitely got the money for it."

"You are basically suggesting that we offer him something to buy, right?"

"Right again, Schnook."

"What are we going to offer him?"

"Let me work on that, Angel. It's going to have to be something big though, in order to be able to elicit a correspondingly big transfer from his overseas account."

"You are actually going to do it, right? You want to pull a Lichtenstein!"

"You got it, darling."

"What's a Lichtenstein?" Chuck asked.

"It's one of my Dad's crazy schemes. It's about this fictitious German billionaire, Hans Lichtenstein, who needs to liquidate something of value fast, like a piece of art, expensive jewelry and the list goes on."

"OK, we got the basic outline," Casey said. "What shall we use as bait?"

"Dad?"

"Like I said, I'm thinking about it. For now we can call it a night. I want all of you to get a good rest. Tomorrow we're going to start getting busy. I'm going for a drive and then back to the hotel."

"I should be going too," said Sarah.

"No, baby girl, you stay here and spend the night at Chuck's, for your cover."

"All right," she said reluctantly.

-o-

"Chuck, we have a problem," Sarah said as she reentered Chuck's room through the Morgan Door.

"What's wrong, Sarah?"

"I don't have my overnight bag in my car. I don't have anything to sleep in and I'm loath to ask Ellie for clothes again."

"Don't worry. I have the cover covered." He pointed at the drawer with the 'For Sarah' note. Intrigued, she knelt down and opened it. Inside she found the T-shirts, boxer shorts, tank tops, sweats and socks Chuck had originally set aside for her, plus a couple of nightgowns, pajamas and even a few changes of underwear still in their packaging.

"You weren't kidding," she said, somewhat awed and definitely impressed. "How did you know my size?"

"That was the hard part, but the lady at Underpants, etc. was very helpful. All I had to do was give your height and describe your figure and, presto, she had it all figured out. She also said something about me buying stuff for my girl being considerate and very sweet and that it's a typical male thing not to know the size and-"

"Chuck," she stopped him by placing a finger on his lips, "you're babbling again. And thanks, I appreciate the gesture. As you said, it'll help the cover."

"You have no idea. Ellie was enthusiastic when she noticed it." He started for the door. "I'll go outside so you can change. Do you want anything, water, orange juice?"

"An orange juice would be great, thanks Chuck."

He was back in a couple of minutes with her orange juice and found her in a pair of new pajamas, admiring them in the mirror.

"Here you go," he said handing her the glass. She sipped from it and watched as he changed into a gray T-shirt and sweatpants. Fortunately his back was turned and couldn't see the hungry look in her eyes as she stared at his reasonably fit body, a look even she didn't know she had at that moment. She was feeling her whole body flush and quickly downed the rest of her cold juice to cool off. Oblivious to his effect on her, Chuck slipped under the covers and smiled at her as he patted the side of the bed next to him. She set the glass down on the desk and got in bed.

"Goodnight Chuck."

"How are you feeling now that your Dad knows about your real job?" Chuck asked suddenly.

"It was a relief to tell him. He was worried I was trying to con you."

"I wish I could tell Ellie, Awesome and Morgan the truth…"

"Chuck, your secret is too important. They can't know. It's safer for them that way, trust me." She moved closer to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I know you hate lying to them, but it's for the best. Besides, feel free to tell me about anything that bothers you. I'll try to help as much as I can."

His reaction to her promise was to wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her close to him. She wanted to pull away, but for some reason her body didn't obey her brain. "Thank you," he said. "It means a lot." Minutes later they were both asleep, still cuddled together.

-o-

"I figured it all out," Jack said. He had called an early morning planning session with the rest of his team, asking them all to meet him at a café. Given his experience, he had been appointed crew leader and coordinator for all con-related activities. "I know what to use for bait. Since we are after a big fish, we need suitable bait."

"What is it, Dad?"

"There is a reason I asked you to meet me here. We are going to sell him this," he said and pointed at a tall building. He drank some coffee as he waited for their reactions, which were not long in coming.

"You are going to sell him the Nakamichi Plaza?" Chuck asked incredulous. Casey and Sarah were still staring at the building.

"_We_ are going to do that, Schnook, together."

"It's crazy!" Casey said. "You seriously expect Amad to fall for it?"

"There is a method to Dad's madness," said Sarah. "After all, as he used to say, the bigger the lie…"

"The easier it is to believe," Jack finished the saying for her. "First of all, we need to do the casting. Schnook, how's your German?"

Chuck had turned to look at the Nakamichi building again, but heard the question. Concentrating, he flashed on German. Satisfied that it was in the Intersect, he turned to face the others.

"I speak German. Perfekt!"

"OK, we get it, Captain Mallory," Casey said.

"I thought Mallory was a Major."

"He was a Major in Force 10 From Navarone, Bartowski. In the Guns of Navarone he was still a Captain."

"I bow to your unsurpassed knowledge of war movie trivia," Chuck said. Sarah and Jack were shaking their heads in amusement.

"Let's get back to business," Jack said. "Charlie, I want you to set up two websites, one for Lichtenstein Enterprises and one for me. I'll be posing as a corporate attorney. Here are the details." He handed Chuck a piece of paper with his notes.

"I can do that. When do you want them for?"

"Yesterday," Jack deadpanned.

"No problem."

"Cop Face, can you get both of us some Federal Agent credentials?"

"I can, but what do we need them for?"

"We, you and I that is, are going to convince the CEO of SFJ Holdings, the company that owns the building, to let us borrow their offices for one day. In this flash drive I have the logos and stuff of Lichtenstein Enterprises. We need the appropriate signs and the like manufactured."

"I'll take care of it," Casey said.

"Good. We'll go talk to the SFJ management today. For the rest, you'll use nature's gift to you, your cop face. You are security."

"Got it."

"Dad, what about me?"

"You, darling, will be Mr. Lichtenstein's personal assistant, Ms. Applebaum."

"I don't like the name. Can't I be, say, Rebecca Franco?"

"As you wish. Now, you and Charlie finish your breakfast and go to work as usual."

-o-

By working hard and efficiently, Chuck had the websites Jack had asked for set up and ready to be activated. The CEO of SFJ Holdings had been sufficiently impressed by Jack and Casey to promise them the use of any office space they saw fit on any day they might require it for. Jack had also taken pictures of the signs and logos they would need to replace with those of the bogus Lichtenstein Enterprises and Casey had promptly ordered the items from the props department. Now, all that remained was to cast the line and wait for the mark to take the bait.

Since the previous day Amad had been under surveillance by a CIA team from the local office and the agents were able to report on his movements. As it turned out, he preferred the café and restaurant of the five star hotel he was staying in.

Jack, dressed in a crisp and expensive business suit was sitting at a table in the café, appearing to enjoy a cup of coffee and work on his laptop computer. Chuck, Sarah and Casey were in the surveillance van outside.

"He's approaching you now," Sarah said over the communications.

"Make the call," he said. Seconds later, Jack's phone rang. "Hello… Hans, is that you? … What can I do for you? … Look, my office is being remodeled right now, so… You are kidding, right? You are putting the whole building on the market for sale? … Well, you can easily get three hundred million bucks for it … Of course I'll handle the sale … OK, talk to you later."

"Excuse me, sir."

"Yes?" Jack said.

"My name is Rajiv Amad. Sheik Rajiv Amad."

"Jake Cutter, corporate attorney." The two men shook hands.

"I could not help overhearing your phone conversation seconds ago. It seems that there is a building on the market, correct?"

"Yes sir, there is. My client, Hans Lichtenstein, CEO of Lichtenstein Enterprises, has decided to sell it, and by it I mean the Nakamichi Plaza here in Los Angeles."

"I am interested in buying it."

"Really? Mr. Lichtenstein will be most pleased. He needs to sell the building soon in order to invest the proceeds from the sale on a new venture."

"Can you please set up an appointment with Mr. Lichtenstein for me, Mr. Cutter? I can make it worth your while."

"How much are we talking about?"

"I'm prepared to offer you a sum equal to seven percent of the deposit I'll pay Mr. Lichtenstein, on top of what he'll pay you. I want, as you Americans say, first dibs on the building."

"Considering that the market value is in the neighborhood of three hundred million dollars, a three percent deposit is ten million, meaning you are offering me seven hundred grand?"

"That is correct, Mr. Cutter."

"You got yourself a deal, sir. I'll arrange for an appointment with Mr. Lichtenstein tomorrow, at about 2 p.m., if it's okay with you."

"It will be fine. Please tell Mr. Lichtenstein that I am looking forward to doing business with him."

"I am certain that he will be just as pleased. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go get the ball rolling. It was a pleasure meeting you, sir."

"Likewise, Mr. Cutter."

-o-

"Well, he took the bait," Chuck said while they were all gathered in Sarah's hotel room a few hours later.

"And we got some cash to play with," Jack added. "Did we by any chance manage to identify the account they were withdrawn from?"

"Negative. We need him to wire us those ten million. Otherwise we won't be able to identify and access his international bank accounts," said Casey.

"So we go on as planned. Schnook, tomorrow you become Hans Lichtenstein."

The day began early for the team. Jack was constantly observing them and was glad to see that they were learning fast. First of all, they arranged to have the SFJ Holdings offices all to themselves. Then they covered all the signs with their own. Casey took up position in the security booth. Chuck and Sarah, both in expensive business suits, assumed the roles of boss and personal assistant. Jack was playing the part of the greedy lawyer to perfection. A few minutes before the scheduled meeting they did one last check. Everything was ready to con the sheik out of ten million.

"… And Mr. Lichtenstein will take your proposal under consideration and will get back to you. Have a nice day, sir." She looked up and saw the sheik and his men. "Good afternoon, sir. I am Rebecca Franco, Mr. Lichtenstein's personal assistant. Nice seeing you again, Mr. Cutter. Mr. Lichtenstein is waiting for you, gentlemen. Please follow me." She led them to the CEO's office.

"Ah, mein Herr, willkommen bei Lichtenstein Enterprises. Ich bin sicher, dass wir einer für beide Seiten profitable Einigung kommen können," Chuck said in perfect German. Well, in fact the deal would be advantageous to one side only.

"Herr Lichtenstein, teilt die Scheichs Ihr Gefühl und ist begierig darauf, mit Ihnen Geschäfte machen," said Amad's interpreter.

"Ah, sehr gut. But you, mein Freund, haf to vork on your German axxent, ja? You zhound tzhust a bit out of praktiss."

"Now he sounds like Colonel Klink," Casey said over the radio.

"Excuse me?" Amad's employee asked.

"I was just joking. Forgive me please, but I am so pleased to be doing business with such a distinguished partner that I felt some frivolity would add to the general good mood," Chuck said in his normal voice.

"Very well, Mr. Lichtenstein," said Amad. "I must say that it was an excellent, if rather eccentric, idea."

"We have the deeds to the building for your people to examine," Jack said smoothly, producing a stack of documents. Amad nodded and one of his men read the expertly forged deeds and concluded that all was in order.

"Right now sir, we only need the three percent deposit to take the property off the market," Sarah said.

"Of course. Mr. Cutter informed me of this requirement. Do you have an account where I can wire you the deposit?"

Sarah looked at Chuck, who nodded. "Of course, sir," she said and handed him a card with the account number on it. Amad's accountant requested access to a computer and Sarah gave him one. Amad himself entered the code to access the account and the accountant completed the transfer. Sarah confirmed the transaction.

"Sir," Chuck said, "allow me to congratulate you on an excellent investment. The final contracts will be signed as soon as our attorneys prepare them."

"It has been a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Lichtenstein."

"Thank you. I can indeed say the same. Would you care for a lunch to celebrate? I'm buying."

"I am honored, but I have another appointment coming up. Perhaps we can postpone it until we sign the contracts?"

"Fine by me."

-o-

After dismantling the bogus Lichtenstein Enterprises logos and turning the offices back to their owners, they reconvened in Sarah's room to celebrate. Casey popped the cork off a bottle of champagne and poured four glasses.

"Here, Cop Face, you earned it," Jack said, shoving something in Casey's pocket.

"Victory cigar, thank you."

"No need to thank me, I lifted it from your jacket earlier."

"Huh?" Casey checked and saw that it was indeed one of his own cigars. "How did you do that?"

"Magic," Jack replied.

"Daddy, you are incorrigible."

"Schnook, you made me a believer. I am happy not to be a conman any more, but, if I were, you guys would be the only crew I'd ever want to work with."

"Hear, hear… To teamwork," said Chuck. They all clinked glasses and savored the smooth taste of the champagne.

"Dad, Casey, please don't smoke in here," Sarah said as the two men prepared to light their cigars. They nodded and stuffed the stogies back in their pockets. Her phone rang and excused herself to answer it. "Casey, Chuck, they want us for a debriefing in half an hour. Dad, do you want to come along and say hi to an old acquaintance?"

"Sure, darling, why not?"

-o-

"I must say that the mission was flawlessly executed. Be sure to thank your father for me, Agent Walker."

"You are welcome," Jack said, coming into the camera's field of view.

"I really didn't expect to see you, but I am glad to be able to express my thanks directly."

"Don't mention it. Helping my little girl was quite satisfying." Only Chuck noticed Sarah's slight blush as her dad and her boss briefly talked about her. He didn't blame her. It was almost like high school all over again; a principal giving a progress report to a student's father. Normally such discussion would have been unthinkable, but it touched no classified subjects and each had genuine concern for Sarah. Even the General looked somewhat amused.

After the debriefing they all went out into the courtyard where Ellie spotted them as she returned from her shift at the hospital.

"Hey guys," she said brightly.

"Ellie, hi. How was your day?" Sarah asked.

"It was normal," she shrugged. "What were you all doing in John's apartment?"

"I was fixing his computer, sis," said Chuck.

"And while Charlie was working, John and I were enjoying some beer and boring the Hell out of my daughter with our stale jokes," Jack added.

"You guys will stay for lunch," Ellie said. Sarah almost started to argue, but Chuck gave her a warning look, plus she had begun to know Ellie well enough to realize that the invitation was in fact nothing short of an Imperial decree, so she kept her mouth shut. Jack and Casey were quick to accept the invitation, as the very thought of savoring Ellie's cooking virtually had them drooling.

Unbeknownst to them all, things were about to turn ugly. Amad had wanted to ask 'Lichtenstein' something, so he dropped by the office again, unannounced. Imagine his surprise and anger when he saw the SFJ Holdings logo and the people from Lichtenstein Enterprises nowhere in sight. When he realized he'd been conned, he got really mad. He was determined to get every cent of his money back and make an example of the crew that had conned him so successfully.

-o-

Sarah was in the Castle gym, working out. She threw another angry kick at the punching bag. This time she was mad at herself. The reason? She had (again) overindulged herself on Ellie's food and was now trying to burn off the excess calories. After all, she was a girl and did not want to sacrifice her perfect shape, not even for Ellie's delicious meals. The buzz of her phone interrupted her workout session. She answered it and went pale. She tried to run a trace, but the call did not last long enough to allow her to get a fix on the caller's location. She quickly changed and packed a bag full of weapons. When Chuck, who happened to drop by, asked her what was going on, she replied that it was personal and left. Chuck had seen her worried expression and got worried himself. So he did the best thing that came to his head and called Casey. He told him that Sarah had left in a hurry loaded for bear and asked him if he knew what was going on. He got the same reply Sarah had given him: that it was personal He then checked the internal surveillance videos. He saw her tell the sheik that she would kill him if anything happened to her father. He couldn't let her and Casey go in without him and the Intersect. He went to his office, grabbed his car keys and headed out the door.

"Morgan, I have to go," he told his best friend, who was staying late to do some more work.

"What's up?"

"It's personal."

"OK, go. I'll hold the fort here."

He knew how to work the systems in his car thanks to the Intersect, so he followed Sarah's phone tracker to a parking lot. There he saw the tense standoff with Amad and his goons and realized that he had to do something fast to turn the odds in their favor. Casey was sure to be nearby, having had a head start on him, so he just needed to stage a diversion. He pulled over near the group and parked the car. Getting out, he noticed a few guns trained at him.

"Don't shoot," he said. "We don't need any more trouble here and that applies to you as well. You can take your money back and we'll then all go our separate ways. It was a mistake to con you; we can all see that now." He showed Amad the laptop he'd brought with him.

"Smart move, Bartowski," Casey said to himself as he watched from a convenient vantage point, to which he'd moved taking advantage of Chuck's appearance. "Of course I'll never tell him that."

"You are willing to give me my money back?" Amad asked.

"Yes. Just let my partners go," Chuck replied.

"We'll see about that," Amad said and took the laptop to make the transfer. Chuck had set up a mock transaction, as the ten million were now in a CIA account. Not knowing about it, the sheik directed the 'funds' to another one of his overseas accounts, thus revealing another and making the trace of the remaining accounts easier.

"Satisfied?" Chuck asked.

"Almost. I'll still kill you out of principle. But her," he said, cupping Sarah's chin, "I have very special plans for her. I think I'll sell her to one of my friends for his harem."

Chuck got so angry that he flashed on several kinds of martial arts. Only Sarah noticed it. He knocked the laptop from Amad's hands and threw a mighty kick that sent him reeling backwards. Sarah took down the man who held her, while Casey opened fire, neutralizing three more of Amad's thugs. Then Chuck and Sarah together went to work on the two men nearest to them. The last one, who was a little further away, aimed his gun at her, but Jack shoved her out of the way, taking the bullet meant for his daughter. Casey killed the last gunman. Sarah ran over to her father.

"Daddy," she said.

'It's OK, Angel; it's just a flesh wound."

"We need to get him to a hospital," Chuck said.

"Not the one where your sister and her Ken Doll work," Casey said as he joined them.

"Amad is getting away," Sarah said as she saw the sheik take Chuck's car and leave.

"No he's not. It's my car, isn't it?" Chuck produced a small remote control and pressed a few buttons. The car stopped and went into detention mode. "It pays to read the manual," he said and winked at Sarah, who laughed, like everyone else.

-o-

Chuck had given Sarah the day off so that she could tend to her Dad. The CIA doctor who'd treated him confirmed that it was nothing serious, patched him up and pronounced him ready to leave. Sarah had taken him back to the hotel and spent the day with him. Another team had already taken custody of Amad and his surviving men the night before.

"You know, darling, I'll never call Charlie a schnook again, ever. It took a lot of guts to come for us unarmed. And he did that for you. He loves you, kid. I could see it in his eyes all the time. He's a good man. In fact he's the best thing that could ever happen to my little girl."

Sarah had a blank expression on her face. All she could hear in her head was something her father had just said: 'He loves you'. She had somehow known that. The way he always acted around her, how considerate and affectionate he was towards her were proof enough. In reality it felt like he'd told her himself, but maybe that was in her dreams. And she knew that she too had feelings for him, feelings she could not positively identify, but the attraction was definitely one of them.

"Do you know what I'd like right now, Dad?" Sarah changed the subject as she finished adjusting the strap on Jack's sling. "I'd really love some Rocky Road."

"Just like old times, huh? I noticed a nice place nearby, where we can get some. Double scoop, like always?"

"That's right, Daddy."

They were heading out to get the ice cream when they saw Chuck coming to the hotel.

"Hello Charlie," Jack said.

"I'd kind of grown accustomed to Schnook," Chuck said with a huge smile as they shook hands. Impulsively Sarah linked her arm with his.

"So did I. Angel and I are going for some ice cream. We'll be having her favorite flavor, Rocky Road. Care to join us?"

"Sure, thanks." He already knew, from the first meeting with Jack, about Sarah's preferences in ice cream and made a mental note to always have some on hand both at the office and at home.

Just before he and Sarah returned to the hotel, he took Chuck aside for a quick talk.

"Look son, I'll get straight to the point. I know you love my baby girl."

"As I once told her sister, I love Sarah with all my heart."

"Take care of her."

"I will. And there is no need to threaten me not to hurt her. Carina already did that, but I assure you, I will never hurt her intentionally or by gross negligence."

"Good answer. Just give her time to sort out her feelings. She _has_ feelings for you, you know. As good as she turned out, I was still a lousy father and the life I gave her did not help in her emotional development. You, on the other hand, your family and friends already have a positive influence on her."

"You must have done something right, Jack. You said it yourself, she turned out well."

"See you around, Charlie."

The following day Jack went to say goodbye to Sarah before she left for work. The girl in her didn't want her father to leave, but she knew that he'd be safer away from her. He did promise to visit her regularly, however.

"One more thing, Sarah," he said.

"What?"

"I want you to take these." He gave her a few large envelopes. She opened one of them and saw that it was full of money.

"Dad, it's a lot of money."

"It's one hundred and seventy five thousand dollars, your share of the seven hundred grand Amad paid me. Two of the other envelopes are for Charlie and John."

"And the last one?"

"It's part of my share. I'm investing it in Charlie's company. Somehow I know I'll get a good return on my investment."

"You always had good business hunches."

"I know. We'll talk again soon."

"Take care, Daddy."

"You too, Angel." He hugged his daughter and kissed her cheek before getting in his car and driving off. Sarah went to get her Porsche and go to work.

"Good morning Sarah," Chuck said as she entered the company offices.

"Hi Chuck."

"How's your dad?"

"He's fine. He left this morning."

"He'll be back."

"I know."

"We got no new missions. I already finished the dailies and I'll be working on my own projects. Don't hesitate to tell me if you need anything, spy related or otherwise."

"OK."

"One more thing; we're having dinner tonight with Ellie, Awesome, Morgan and Alex."

"Is Casey going to be there, too?"

"Ellie invited him, so yes."

"It won't be easy for him."

"True," he chuckled. "It'll be kind of fun to watch though."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

* * *

German dialogue corrected per Lantan's suggestion (I'd used Google Translate originally).

Danke sehr, Lantan!


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Here's a new chapter, folks. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as the previous ones.

I also added something for Balthazar497, hoping it'll prod him a bit to update his story.

* * *

**Chapter 12 – Business ****is good**

"You did very well today, Chuck. Go hit the shower," Sarah said as she wiped the sweat off her face with a towel after yet another training session with Chuck in the Castle dojo.

"Thanks. I'll see you in a few minutes for the dailies," he said before heading to the men's locker room. Sarah threw her towel over a shoulder and went to the ladies' locker room to shower and change after she let her eyes linger over his retreating form. Their workouts were getting him in even better shape. Less than a quarter of an hour later they were in the main room, where Casey was working on some files. He looked up as they entered.

"Well, Walker? How did he do today?"

"He did great. The Intersect works. He just seems to have a problem with finishing the moves. Something's holding him back."

"Yeah, about that," Chuck said. "Do you really want to become the best customer of Westside Medical's radiology department? Taking you there for X-Rays once was enough, I fancy."

"The geek's got a point, Walker. The kick boxing excuse you gave Ellie can only hold for so long."

"For the thousandth time, Casey, it's Nerd. Now, I think you have some intel for me to review?"

*grunt* (over there) Casey's thumb pointed at Chuck's designated workstation.

"Let's see what we've got here," he muttered as he made himself comfortable. A little while later he was finished and handed the recorded report to Casey for forwarding to headquarters. Then he went looking for Sarah. He found her in the kitchenette, bent over as she looked for something in the refrigerator. He could not help but admire the view of the firm package contained within her tight jeans.

"Can I get you anything, Chuck?" Sarah asked without looking up.

"Uh, yeah, a soda would be nice, thanks."

"Here you go."

"What were you looking for in there?"

"I'm certain there is something other than just soda in here."

"Not any more there isn't."

"You ate it?"

"Yeah, I was hungry, we didn't have anything other than Rocky Road left upstairs and I was too busy to go out for lunch."

"The ice cream thing was very considerate of you, although between it and Ellie's cooking I've had to work out twice as hard. How on earth do you manage to keep in shape?"

"I have good metabolism."

"I envy you."

"Come on, I'm taking you out to dinner. How does French sound?"

"Right now I could eat anything."

"It's settled then."

They were heading out when she remembered something. She dug into her handbag and produced three envelopes.

"Casey, this is yours. Chuck, these are for you." She handed them their envelopes.

"What is it?" Casey asked.

"It's your share of the $700,000 my dad got from the sheik. He split it into equal shares for us."

"How very considerate of him."

"He always looked out for his crews. Chuck, the extra envelope contains part of his share. He wants to invest it in Orion Games & Software."

"I'm speechless," Chuck said.

"You can give him a good return on his investment."

"That I will." He went and put the envelopes in one of his workstation drawers and then escorted Sarah upstairs and to his car. As he'd promised, he took her to a French restaurant, where he confessed over a delicious dinner that he had always wanted to go to Paris one day. She told him that she'd been there a couple of times and it was beautiful. Afterwards he drove her back to the office to get her car.

-o-

A few days later  
Chuck was nervous and did not completely succeed in hiding it. The release of his new game was the following day and he dreaded being given a mission. Not that Morgan was unable to handle the event. In fact he was more than capable. But this was Chuck's high point in the computer game business so far and he didn't want to miss it for the world. He, Sarah and Morgan had worked really hard to get everything ready. Driving by the Buy More, where the event was going to be held, he saw the long line of eager gamers who had camped outside. This confirmation that the game would be a success from day one had a calming effect on his nerves.

Fortunately, Graham, Beckman and the Intersect left him alone and the big day finally arrived.

"Well, Bartowski, I can't thank you enough for choosing my store to host your event," Big Mike said, already calculating his bonus from the day's sales.

"The credit for this is all Morgan's, Big Mike. It was his idea to use the Buy More."

"The entire mall is seeing an upsurge in business these days, thanks to you guys." It was true. The managers of many stores, like Sbarro's, the Wienerlicious, the Orange Orange, and of course Lou Palone, had come to thank Chuck for holding the event at their mall. They had been doing brisk business with the people that had come to wait for 38th Parallel to be released. In fact Sarah had felt a little uncomfortable and a bit angry when Lou hugged Chuck and kissed him on both cheeks. But he had kept to the cover, introducing Sarah to Lou as his girlfriend. At least the Chuck sandwiches she'd brought as a thank you gesture had been delicious.

Right now, she was in the ladies' room, carefully checking her makeup and for the hundredth time cursing the fact that their last couple of missions had not left her with any time to do her laundry. She had thus been obliged to wear her last clean business suit, the slut suit as she called it, only half jokingly. It consisted of a white shirt, black jacket and a very tight black skirt that ended above mid-thigh. She smiled when she remembered the look on Chuck's face when he'd seen her dressed like that, with a pair of four inch heels completing the outfit. It had drawn some, unwanted, attention from the employees of the Buy More, however. She got even more from the geeks gathered inside and outside the store, eagerly waiting for the game copies to be brought for sale.

Chuck was still talking to Big Mike when an annoying voice rudely interrupted them.

"Michael… I wonder how on earth you got this gig. The Beverly Hills branch, as the flagship store, should be the first to get the game."

"Flagship of my ass," Big Mike snorted.

"And maybe you should be addressing your question to me, Barclay," Chuck said.

"Bartowski," the annoying Ass Man of the Beverly Hills Buy More sneered.

"Exactly. You see, I developed the game, so I get to choose where I want it to be released first." He and his old boss laughed out loud when Barclay stalked off in defeat.

"Dude, we are good to go," Morgan said as he joined them. "I don't see Jeff and Lester anywhere though."

"Do you really think that I'd let them ruin the event, Grimes?" Big Mike asked. "They are under strict orders to remain in the Cage until further notice."

"Smart move, sir. The last thing we need is a Jeffster concert in here."

"Everything OK?" Sarah asked as she walked up to Chuck. Morgan left them and went to talk to his girlfriend, who was also there as she didn't want to miss it for the world.

"Yes, Sarah, relax. Everything is in order. I must say, I'm impressed. Getting a local historical reenactment club to participate with its members dressed in uniforms of the era was a stroke of genius."

"Believe it or not, that was Casey's idea. I was thinking about hiring a couple of actors, but he suggested the re-enactors. It turned out cheaper, too. They wanted the publicity and all it cost us was the catering and a small sponsorship for their calendar."

"All gaming magazines sent people to cover the event," Chuck said happily. "And we are getting more and more orders, according to the guys from the distribution company." He looked around and spotted Casey talking to a couple of guys from the reenactment club who were dressed as Marines. He then saw Ellie and Devon enter the store. His sister beamed when she saw him.

"This is your big moment, little brother," she said and hugged him.

"It's totally awesome, bro," Devon added and high-fived with Chuck. "I think I'll try the game just to see what the fuss is all about."

In the end, the event, which included the launch of the first server dedicated to online playing of the game, was an unqualified success. Chuck gave interviews to the various gaming magazine correspondents, making sure to thank all those who had helped organize the event, while Morgan and the people from the distribution company were constantly calling for more deliveries, as the games disappeared almost as fast as they could be placed on the shelves. It dragged on well into the evening. In the end, Chuck gathered everybody and thanked each one personally. Jeff and Lester were not happy to have been denied the chance to sing in front of a large audience, but had still been of some, albeit very small, help. When Chuck, along with Sarah, Morgan and Alex finally shuffled to the parking lot, he was beyond tired, more so than the others. But he still drove Morgan and Alex to their places before returning to Echo Park with Sarah.

"We did very well today," he told her as they were getting ready for bed.

"Uh-huh," she agreed and yawned.

"I'll have to send your Dad his share of the profits."

"He'll be glad to hear it. You know he has a lot of faith in you."

"I know."

"Goodnight Chuck."

"Goodnight."

As she did on every cover sleepover, Sarah automatically snuggled up to Chuck. His proximity always had a calming effect on her. She never had nightmares or sleeplessness when she shared a bed with him.

-o-

They all went to the office later than usual in the morning. Chuck did the dailies in stages, lest he risk another flash-caused headache. With nothing else to do, Sarah busied herself with company stuff. When she had to go to the bathroom, Chuck snuck in her office and left something on her desk. She found it when she returned. It was a plain white envelope with her name written on it. She opened it and found a check inside.

"Chuck, isn't it too early for my paycheck?" She was at the door to his office, holding the envelope in her hand.

"This is not your paycheck, Sarah. It's your bonus."

"Excuse me?"

"You deserve every cent. Yesterday's success wouldn't have happened without you."

"Do you really mean that, Chuck?"

"Come here," he said. She approached him, curious as to what he wanted to tell her. He took both her hands in his and looked straight in her eyes. "Yes, Sarah, I really mean it. You are a godsend for Orion Games & Software." He heard some noise from the corridor outside and in a millisecond decided to take advantage of it. He pulled Sarah to him and gave her a searing kiss. She was surprised at first, but more surprising was that her lips (and tongue) responded on their own.

"Chuck! Dude, I got the sales reports from…" Morgan stopped when he saw them kissing passionately. "Oh, sorry guys. I thought I saw you going to the bathroom, Sarah."

"Never mind, Morgan," she said, still dizzy from the kiss.

"What is it, buddy?"

"As I was saying, our distributor sent us the initial sales reports from all States. Sales are going through the roof, man! We are rich! And they are predicting just as good overseas sales."

"That's great news, Morgan! Thank you."

"I'll leave you two to celebrate alone," Morgan said and winked.

"Looks like Mr. Carmichael will be able to enter America's Cup after all," Sarah said, not letting go of Chuck.

"I think I'm too young to retire from the software business. I still have the spy stuff to keep me busy though."

She didn't answer, because her phone rang. It was Casey. "We have a briefing for a mission in thirty. Bring Bartowski," he said and hung up.

"Was that Casey?"

"Yes. Looks like we have a new mission. Briefing is in half an hour, _downstairs_."

"No problem."

-o-

"Good afternoon, people," General Beckman said. "You know that currently the number 1 threat to the security of the country is Fulcrum. We already messed up their plans by reacquiring Bryce Larkin. He has been feeding us useful information since we went off the radar. One of the tips he gave us recently is about a meeting that will take place in Los Angeles. Apparently, the local Fulcrum station chief, or one of his lieutenants, will be meeting an electronics expert in an effort to break one of our latest communications encoding systems."

"Excuse me General, but since we know that Fulcrum is a special access group originating from inside the CIA, wouldn't they already have access to the system?" Chuck asked.

"Excellent question, Mr. Bartowski," Graham said approvingly. "The answer is this: After you identified a number of Fulcrum moles, we acquired and are using a new secure high level communications system. Only selected people have access to it and they have been vetted quite thoroughly. Fulcrum unavoidably got wind of it and they are seeking a way to allow them to monitor our most secret communications. Your job is to prevent this from happening."

"What do we know about the expert, sir?" Casey asked.

"According to Larkin's source, she has had no contact with the CIA in the past."

"So, we are dealing with what could be a clueless civilian."

"Exactly, Agent Walker. You are to proceed with extreme caution on the matter. Find out where and when the meeting will take place, identify the Fulcrum agent and disrupt their plans by any means necessary," Graham answered.

"The name of the civilian is Alexis White. She graduated with honors from USC and is currently working as a freelance programmer and a provider of office computer solutions."

"We just got her file, General."

"Very well, Major Casey. Keep us informed of your progress." The General pushed a button on her desk and the videoconference ended.

"This girl is right up your alley, Bartowski," Casey said after skimming through White's file. "She's a geek queen. If it comes down to it, we can use you as bait."

"Excuse me?"

"You may have to seduce her, Moron."

"Uh, you know I am not really comfortable with the whole infiltration and inducement deal."

"Suck it up, Bartowski. We got a job to do, let's do it right."

"Chuck, I don't think it'll actually go that far," Sarah said reassuringly.

"But if it does?"

"You'll enjoy a free nookie while doing your country a service, idiot."

"First and foremost we should avoid exposing Chuck to Fulcrum. We need to keep him under their radar for as long as possible," Sarah said patiently. It was a valid reason and Casey was sure to agree. The real reason was totally different. She hated doing seductions and knew that Chuck hated it just as much as she did. Plus she didn't like the idea of Chuck getting cozy with that gorgeous brunette geek at all.

"Like I said," Casey clarified, "we'll use his charms as a last resort. But it might be the fastest way to get to her. She recently broke up with her boyfriend and she might be ripe for plucking."

"I'd still like to avoid having to do that," Chuck insisted. "I'm quite respectful of women and I don't like to take advantage of them, especially when they are in an emotionally vulnerable state."

"You'll be doing it for your country, Bartowski. Keep that in mind."

-o-

"There she is, Walker." Casey and Sarah were running surveillance on Alexis White and were watching her as she left her office and went to lunch. Casey had been right. She was a cut above the normal geek, at least looks wise, Sarah thought. But then again, so was Chuck.

"What do you propose we do? I mean, she thinks that she'll just be meeting a potential client. You've already established that through surveillance."

"I don't think we should identify ourselves to her, not yet at least."

"We shouldn't be exposing civilians to high risks."

"She's got an incoming call. Let's see what it's about." The two agents listened attentively to the conversation. It turned out to be a regular client of Ms. White's, who wanted a supplementary network set up in his office.

"So far she's perfectly legit," Sarah remarked.

"We already knew that. Unfortunately, Larkin's source could not identify the Fulcrum agent who contacted her. Damn, we should have brought Bartowski along."

"He couldn't make it, plus it would look suspicious if he went away from work right now. Besides, we can very well show him photos of the people White meets and have him listen to recordings of her phone call and see if he flashes on anything."

-o-

"Sorry, no flashes," Chuck said when he finished going over the pictures and recordings of Ms. White's day.

"She hasn't met the Fulcrum guy yet."

"Looks like it… I'm going home. Call me if anything comes up."

"See you tomorrow, Chuck."

"We have bugged her phones and email, so if anything happens tonight, we'll know," Casey said after Chuck left for home.

"Casey, can you handle surveillance yourself tomorrow?"

"Can't come along, huh?"

"It won't look good to be away from work for two days in a row without a good reason."

"I can make do on my own."

"Thanks Casey."

In the morning Chuck and Sarah went over Alexis' phone calls and emails from the previous evening and got no results from the Intersect, while Casey was out running surveillance. By now they had quite a bit of information on their mark. Sarah had Chuck go over it again, just in case they'd missed something. As it turned out, Alexis was clean. She only had a parking ticket, which she'd paid in full. All in all, she was just another law abiding citizen, whose skills, unfortunately for her, were required by a rogue group within the government. Around noon, Casey called to give them an update. Alexis had not varied her routine. She'd gone to her office as usual, worked hard and went out to lunch at a small restaurant near her office. He was about to sign off when he saw someone join her at her table.

"Hold on," he said, "there is someone talking to White now. I'm sending you live video feed."

"We are ready to receive," Chuck said. "How about audio?"

"Too noisy out here, but I'll try," Casey replied from the surveillance van.

Chuck watched the man talking to Alexis. As he zoomed in on the picture, he noticed an ugly scar on his face and promptly flashed.

"The guy is Fulcrum," he announced. "His name is Tommy Delgado, CIA. He's a really unsavory character."

"Casey, we are still not getting any audio," Sarah said.

"I'm working on it."

Apparently, Casey succeeded, for they could hear the conversation taking place inside the restaurant now.

"I don't know, Agent Alvarado," Alexis said, "It sounds extremely difficult from a technical standpoint, not to mention illegal."

"Atta girl," said Chuck.

"I understand your concern, Ms. White, but I assure you, we have all the necessary warrants for the surveillance. But the suspects' system is very sophisticated, hence the need to employ an outside contractor. The local field office lacks the required resources. You have been highly recommended. The financial rewards should be appealing to you, too. No matter what happens, whether you succeed or not, you'll get the standard outside consultant's fee, plus a hefty bonus if you manage to break the encryption, not to mention the satisfaction of assisting the FBI solve an important case."

"The sonofabitch is appealing to her sense of duty," Casey growled.

"I can look into the matter and do a feasibility study for starters," Alexis said hesitantly. "But from what you told me, this sounds like a government grade encryption system."

"We believe the suspects hired engineers and programmers especially for the job, many of them overseas. They certainly have the funding for it."

"I'll let you know if it's feasible. If it is, we'll discuss what needs to be done next."

"Excellent, Ms. White. Here's my card. Do not hesitate to call me at any time."

"Thank you for your confidence, Agent Alvarado. I'll be in touch soon."

"I look forward to it. Have a nice day, Ms. White."

"You too."

"Dammit!" Sarah said. "She fell for it!"

"Walker, inform the General and Graham. They need to take some more precautionary steps now."

"I only hope they won't order you guys to kill her," said Chuck. Sarah paused for a couple of seconds. He'd just made a valid point. Graham and Beckman wouldn't hesitate to order Alexis White terminated, if they thought it would at least buy time. She didn't want to be the one to have to carry out such an order and she suspected that Casey was feeling the same. After all, Alexis was an innocent civilian, who happened to be contacted and deceived by the wrong people. She also didn't want Chuck to see her take such an order. With a heavy heart she activated the secure communications system.

"Report, Agent Walker," Beckman said.

"Ma'am, Ms. White was approached today by a CIA agent, Thomas Delgado, who is a member of Fulcrum."

"Did Chuck identify Delgado?" Graham asked.

"Yes sir, I did," replied Chuck. "He was posing as an FBI agent and deceived Ms. White into investigating the technical feasibility of hacking into the system for starters."

"He had everything; FBI badge, warrants… He was very convincing," Sarah added.

"It appears that Ms. White is a potential security risk," said Graham. "But we can't eliminate her, lest Fulcrum get wind that we are on to them." At that both Chuck and Sarah inwardly breathed sighs of relief. Alexis would be spared.

"Terminating Ms. White will be a last resort option," the General said. "Let's just hope it won't have to come down to that."

"Your orders are the same: Prevent Fulcrum from gaining access to our secure system by any means necessary. We'll see what we can do here to fortify it further, too." Graham then signed off.

"Sarah…" Chuck said.

"I know, Chuck. I don't want to have to kill her, either."

"What should we do then?"

"You are the computer genius. Any ideas?"

"Upgrading the security of the system is a good move. Other than that, I guess we need to delay her."

"Not bad… we could always send a virus and destroy her computers."

"That could spell the end of her business… I have a better idea."

"Let's hear it."

"I could attack her system with a nasty virus. Back in Stanford we used to call it the 'Bartowski Special'. I can modify it so it'll only deny her access to the system without destroying it. It should give us the time to go after the Fulcrum cell."

"What will you need?"

"The Castle mainframe and her IP address."

"Do it, Chuck."

-o-

"Done," Chuck said after a few hours of work on the computer. "She'll be locked out of her systems for as long as we want. The good part is that it will not be detectable as an outside attack."

"You never cease to amaze me, Chuck."

"I _am_ a professional Nerd, Sarah."

"This is how you introduced yourself to me back in San Francisco, remember?"

"Sure I do." He smiled widely and she couldn't help but smile back.

They were in Sarah's hotel room on a cover sleepover when Casey called them with an update. He told them that Chuck's virus was working and Alexis was baffled as to why her system had suddenly crashed and was denying her access for no apparent reason. The following day they also intercepted a call from Alexis to Tommy, telling him that she could not even do the feasibility study for technical reasons and explaining that she would have to put all projects on hold until she could find out what was wrong with her mainframe. She was sure it was a technical fault and expected to have it identified and rectified in a few days. Chuck, Sarah and Casey knew how misplaced her optimism was. She could do nothing until Chuck himself deactivated the electronic barricade he'd set up.

Unfortunately, Fulcrum was in a hurry, because Tommy asked her to meet him again if she couldn't get her equipment back on line in one day. He would give her access to their computers and just have her do the feasibility study and draw up a list of required hardware and software.

"Can she do it that way, Bartowski?"

"It will certainly take longer, but yes, it's doable."

"We have to stop her, Chuck. We don't have the time to switch to a new network."

"I have to report to the General," said Casey. "Although I don't like what she's gonna say…"

"We don't want to issue a termination order," Beckman said when they told her of the new developments in the case. "But Fulcrum has to be stopped."

"We could try and turn her. If we can get her to work with us willingly instead of unknowingly working against us…"

"Do it, Major." She signed off.

"Well, Moron, it looks like you'll have to geek-romance her."

"Oh no," moaned Chuck.

-o-

"Chuck, relax and just be yourself. You are a nice, charming, funny guy. You won't have any problem getting her attention," Sarah said over the radio. Chuck was about to enter Alexis' favorite watering hole. It was the beginning of his first seduction mission.

"I still don't like it," he said, speaking into his watch communicator.

"Man up and just do it, idiot," Casey growled. "The Armani suit you're wearing cost the taxpayers a pretty penny. We didn't make you look almost like a movie star just to have you blow the op because of your lady feelings."

Chuck entered and spotted Alexis at the bar. Her pantsuit jacket was off and draped over the back of her seat, while she'd rolled her shirt sleeves up. She was a woman who would have certainly caught Chuck's eye (had he never met Sarah, of course). She was nursing a large bourbon, lost in her thoughts.

"Excuse me," Chuck said politely, "is this seat taken?" The seat next to Alexis was the only one free at the bar.

"No, it's yours."

"Thank you." He turned to the bartender and ordered a Jack Daniels straight up. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Alexis had turned her full attention back to her drink. He was feeling genuinely sorry for her. None of it was her fault. He discreetly watched as she downed her drink and ordered another. When she gulped it down as well and asked for a third, he turned to her.

"Boyfriend trouble?"

"Um, excuse me?"

"Look, I don't want to meddle, but you are already on your third drink, while I've barely touched mine. Whatever the problem is, drinking is never the answer, I assure you."

"Thank you for the concern, but I can manage, Mr.…"

"Charles Carmichael." He extended his hand.

"Alexis White." They shook hands. She had a firm grip, which again reminded him of his first meeting with Sarah. "Anyway, the boyfriend trouble, as you put it, is only part of the problem and a small one at that." Her third drink went in no time and she gestured at the bartender for a fourth.

"Are you sure you want to be drinking so much, Ms. White?"

"Relax, Mr. Carmichael. I'm not driving tonight and I built up a tolerance for alcohol back in USC, anyway."

"Really? I went to Stanford myself. I could drink every guy in my fraternity under the table."

"Including Bryce?" Sarah asked. She couldn't help it and ignored the stern look Casey gave her.

"Yes," Chuck whispered into his watch, as he raised his glass to drink. In the van, Sarah shut the mike off and laughed.

"What's so funny, Walker?"

"Nothing," she choked out. "It's just… I considered myself lucky to be able to keep up with Bryce when drinking."

"You shouldn't ever get in a drinking contest with the Nerd then."

"I won't."

In the bar, the conversation between Chuck and Alexis was covering a lot of subjects, ranging from drinks to their common nerd interests, prompting Casey to remark that they were a match made in a very geeky part of heaven. He missed the look Sarah gave him and how she was clenching and unclenching her fists.

"Do you know what I'd like now, Mr. Carmichael?" Alexis asked and frowned. "Mr. Carmichael is too formal. Can I call you Charlie?"

"I prefer Chuck."

"Call me Alexis."

"Okay, Alexis, what would you like to do now?"

"I'd like you to take me to my place and make mad passionate sex to me."

"WHAT?" The shocked question did not come from Chuck, who was just staring at Alexis in mild shock. It came from Sarah.

"What, are you jealous, Walker? Bartowski must suck it up and do it. If he wants to be an agent, he must learn to satisfy all job requirements."

"Shut up, Casey."

*grunt* (you _are_ jealous)

To add insult to injury, after they paid for the drinks, Alexis dragged Chuck by the hand out of the bar and kissed him full on the lips. Sarah's face had gone from a deathly white to beet red as shock, jealousy and anger succeeded one another. She so wanted to do something bad to Alexis and she couldn't quite comprehend why she was so jealous.

They didn't go far, however. They had barely gone a few yards from the bar entrance when two men approached them. One of those two men was Tommy Delgado.

"Forgive the interruption, Ms. White, but you are going to have to come with us, now."

"Can't it wait until tomorrow, Agent Alvarado?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Sorry Chuck," Alexis said. "I have to go do my civic duty."

"Um, what do you mean?" Chuck asked, feigning total ignorance.

"I'm assisting the FBI on a case," she replied.

"Oh. That's good." He hugged Alexis and deftly planted a bug in one of her jacket pockets. "I'll just go home then."

"Why don't you tag along, Chuck? It shouldn't take long, if it's OK with Agent Alvarado here…"

"I have no problem with it," Delgado said smugly. He knew that an ignorant unsuspecting civilian like Chuck wouldn't see anything compromising and in any case he was planning to terminate Alexis after she would be of no further use to them. Killing one more person didn't matter to him at all. In fact, Chuck was relieved. Not only would they learn the location of an installation used by Fulcrum, but they would also be able to protect Alexis.

Tommy and his partner took them to an office building in downtown LA. Chuck played the role of the intrigued and excited civilian to perfection. At one point, Alexis asked him to get her some water from a cooler in a corridor. On the way there, he snuck into a room and saw that it was an interrogation room, complete with a comprehensive collection of torture devices that sent shivers down his spine. He flashed on a lot of the stuff they had there, especially the chemicals. Improvising, he snatched a syringe, which he filled with saline solution from a medicine cabinet and a strong sedative. The Intersect had dosage tables for it and he knew Alexis' weight from the file Casey had compiled on her. He hid it in his pocket and rejoined Alexis, after getting her water.

"So, pal, what's your name?" Tommy asked when he returned where Alexis was working on a computer.

"It's Charles."

"Just Charles?"

"Charles Carmichael."

"Carmichael… sounds familiar."

"It's a common name," Chuck shrugged.

"Are you two a couple?"

"Huh? No, we are friends. I mean, we just met, but, um, we definitely have a lot in common."

"That's not what I saw," Tommy whispered to Chuck and winked.

"She had a little too much to drink," Chuck whispered back. Tommy lay back in his high backed office chair and watched as Alexis fiddled with a computer and Chuck leafed through a magazine. Suddenly, he shot up.

"Charles Carmichael! You are the CIA agent who apprehended David Steele, a bunch of the late Barracuda's thugs, took down Peyman Alahi and Rajiv Amad!" His hand went for his gun.

"You forgot the Cardenas case," Chuck said smugly. In a lightning fast move he grabbed Alexis, held her in front of him and jammed the needle of the syringe against her neck. "Back off or I kill her, Delgado."

"I was going to kill her anyway."

"You still need her to access the CIA's secure comms," Chuck called Tommy's bluff. "This syringe is full of ricin. There is enough of it to kill a Marine battalion, in fact. So, back off."

"Why are you doing this?" Alexis had never been more scared in her entire life.

"Sorry Alexis, but I couldn't let Tommy here and his friends hack into sensitive networks."

"Under other circumstances, I'd be honored to meet you, Carmichael. You really are a badass."

"You ain't seen nothing yet."

-o-

"Where the Hell is the tactical team?" Sarah asked anxiously as she strapped a bulletproof vest, guns, knives and other weapons on her.

"Their ETA is two minutes."

"Tell them to hurry! Chuck is all alone in there! Fuck it, I'm going in!"

"Walker! Shit, wait a minute, you stupid CIA skirt!" Casey grabbed her arm. "He's doing fine for now. We'll go in with the tactical team."

"A lot can happen in two minutes," Sarah said. Fortunately, the tactical team arrived early and proceeded to storm the building with Sarah and Casey in the lead. Meanwhile, Chuck was still engaged in the standoff with Tommy and his partner.

"I'll make you an offer you can't refuse, Carmichael. Come to work for Fulcrum with us. I think the rewards, financial and otherwise, will be more than adequate."

"No thanks. I am not a traitor."

"You won't leave this place alive."

"I think I will."

"Chuck, please, what's going on?" Alexis pleaded.

"Sorry again, honey." He noticed that he was close enough to Tommy, so he stuck the needle in her neck and pushed the plunger, flashing on martial arts at the same time. Her eyes rolled upwards and she went limp in his arms. He threw her at the couch and kicked the gun out of Tommy's hand. The other Fulcrum agent did not have a clear shot on Chuck as Tommy had gotten in the way in the confines of the office. Chuck then followed up with a series of punches to Tommy's gut and an uppercut that sent him reeling backwards into his partner. Taking full advantage, Chuck grabbed a coat hanger stand and brought it down hard on the other Fulcrum agent, knocking him out cold. Tommy attempted to get up, but got a hard kick in the jaw and dropped to the floor unconscious.

When Sarah, who was following Chuck's tracker, burst into the room followed by some members of the tactical team, she found Chuck bent over the couch, making Alexis more comfortable.

"Chuck! Are you OK?"

"I'm fine. What took you so long? You missed all the action," he said smiling. She smiled in relief as she holstered her gun, but got serious again when she saw Alexis.

"Did you kill her?" She didn't want Chuck to kill anyone. He himself never wanted to have to kill people.

"What? Uh, no, I just injected her with a sedative. She'll come to in a couple of hours."

A cleaner team took over after the prisoners were taken away to a detention facility and scoured Fulcrum's offices for intel. An agent took Alexis home after she regained consciousness. She had to sign a non-disclosure agreement first, which she gladly did. She also made sure to thank Chuck for saving her life. At the debriefing Graham and Beckman were very impressed by Chuck's handling of the situation and praised the teamwork as well. Chuck then went home after deactivating the Bartowski Special, explaining to Ellie that he was late because he'd had an impromptu date with Sarah.

In the morning he drove to work as usual. Since he'd gotten involved in the spy world he'd started being even more observant and he noticed a new car in the office building parking lot. He admired it for a second and then took the elevator to his company offices.

"Hey Chuck," Morgan said when he saw him.

"Good morning Morgan."

"John Casey is waiting for you in your office."

"I'll be right there. Is there anything else?"

"Uh, yeah. I have a stack of papers for you to take a look at." He handed Chuck some folders as they headed down the corridor. "Oh, and I finally bought a car."

"Are you saying that..."

"Yes. The DeLorean DMC-12 in the parking lot is mine! The exact car from Back to the Future, dude! I even got custom plates for it from the DMV. From now it will be known as the DeMorgan."

"The car in the movie had a Porsche engine, buddy. How much did you pay for it?"

"The guy who sold it to me was originally asking for two thousand five hundred bucks, but I haggled the price down to two grand. He'd brought it at the Buy More to have an iPod dock installed."

"Sounds suspiciously cheap to me."

"Well, the passenger side door doesn't work properly and if it goes over twenty-two miles per hour it stalls."

"And you gave up two grand for it?"

"He can restore it, you know," Casey butted in. "It's a collectible. I can help you with that if you like, Grimes. I happen to know a good shop, where you'll get quality work done and not have to pay a fortune for it."

"That would be great, John, thanks!" Morgan then headed back to his office.

"Was it just me, or were you nice to Morgan?" Sarah asked.

"Do you really think that I'd let him drive my daughter around in that car before he had it properly restored? Hell, I think I'll even plant a few bugs and cameras in it, too."

"You might want to reconsider that, Casey."

"Why's that, Moron?"

"Think about it. Morgan and Alex are both young and totally into each other. They might do things in the car that you might not want to see or hear."

"Grrrrrrr…"

"You'll get over it," Sarah said, patting Casey's shoulder before taking hold of Chuck's hand and steering him towards his desk to get started on the dailies. It was business as usual both in their day jobs and the spy world.

* * *

**P.S.:** Sarah's "slut suit" is the one she was wearing in 4.01 (vs the Anniversary).


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Still Friday in the Americas (Saturday here, though) and this is the 13th chapter. I hope you are not superstitious, hehe. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 13 – One Ring to Rule Them All**

"CHUCK!" Sarah screamed in pleasure as she climaxed and then collapsed, totally spent, on top of her lover.  
She awoke with a start and bolted upright. It took her a few seconds to get her bearings. She was alone in her bed, in her hotel room, covered in sweat, her body suffused with a warm glow. She was breathing heavily and her heart was trying to pound its way out of her chest. That had never happened to her before, having an orgasm in her sleep. And it was the most intense orgasm she had experienced in her entire life. Of course, her dream, and in particular the man in it, had everything to do with what had just happened. Slowly, haltingly, she pushed herself out of bed and padded unsteadily to the bathroom. An ice cold shower was what she needed right now. A few minutes later she had managed to mostly regain her composure and stood naked in front of the mirror after toweling off.

"What's the matter with you anyway, Walker?" Sarah saw her reflection ask. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"I don't know," she replied. Opening her eyes again, she waited for a response.

"You're lying," the reflection shot back. "For once in your life, admit the truth without too much fuss."

"Fine. It's about Chuck. He loves me, I know that, I have known even before Dad told me. And I think… no, I'm certain… that I love him, too. Happy now? I just admitted that the great Sarah fucking Walker broke the Cardinal Rule of spying. I wouldn't hear the end of it from Carina. Katie, Rebecca, Jenny, whatever you want to call yourself, I'm scared. I've never really been in love before. Work with me here, help me through it all." Her reflection just nodded and smiled.

It had been a long time since she'd last resorted to this sort of self therapy. It was a cathartic process for her and it had always helped her get through the most difficult situations and preserve her sanity without having to turn to an agency shrink. In fact, all her CIA psych evaluators had been impressed by her apparent lack of need for post-mission counseling.

"All I have to do now is find a way to let Chuck know how I feel about him but first I really must work up the courage to do it. It may take a little time, but I'll do it, he deserves to know," she mused aloud. She also recalled something Casey had told her once. He had hinted that there would be no obstacles to a real relationship between her and Chuck once he made full agent. She had a happy bounce in her step as she went to get dressed. When she got to the office, she found it deserted. It was not until she looked at the large clock in the lounge that she realized why. It was 0744, way too early. And the funny part was that she didn't feel tired at all. She sat down at her computer and looked at various pictures of Chuck and her that she had in it while waiting for the coffee machine to make a pot. When everything was ready, she enjoyed her first cup of coffee for the day while doing her cover-real job. The moment she noticed the lights coming on in Casey's office, she paused and quickly went downstairs to Castle. He joined her there a minute later.

"What's wrong, Walker?"

"Nothing. Why do you ask?"

"You're rather early. You usually arrive after the geek."

"I woke up early for a change." Naturally, she didn't tell him why or how she happened to wake up early.

"Well, fuck me."

"Huh?" She noticed that Casey was looking at a computer screen. "What?"

"You are not going to believe this."

"Come on, tell me!"

"The Moron, or rather his Carmichael alter ego, was just awarded the Intelligence Star."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Hell no, just come here and take a look," Casey said and Sarah obliged. Sure enough, the award citation from Graham mentioned the numerous actions of extraordinary heroism of 'Agent Charles Carmichael, CIA'.

"Chuck is referred to as an agent?"

"Yep. It all adds to his legitimacy in the intelligence community."

"He deserves it," she said quietly.

"He does. We are training him well and he's got both balls and brains. I'm proud of him, but if you tell him that I'll kill you, you copy?"

"Your secret is safe with me, Casey."

In the meantime Chuck was fishing in his pockets for his car keys when Devon approached him, looking serious.

"Chuck, I need to talk to you," he said.

"What's the matter, Devon, anything wrong?"

"I don't know yet… It's one of those times when things are not entirely awesome."

"Just relax and tell me."

"Okay." Devon took a deep breath. "Man, it's harder than I thought. Here goes: You know how special your sister is to me, Chuckster. And you are the man in her family, so it's only proper to discuss this with you first. The short version is that I want your permission. Can I marry Ellie?"

"Devon, you are the best thing that happened to Ellie. Of course you have my blessing."

"That's awesome, thanks bro! And I will soon mean that literally." A bro hug was in order and Devon almost bruised Chuck's ribs. "There is one more thing."

"I'm listening."

"I got up early and snuck out to my safety deposit box to get this," Devon said, producing a small red box. "It's my great-grandmother's ring. She gave it to me before she passed and said that it's for the right girl and she knew Ellie was that girl before I too realized it."

"It's beautiful. Ellie will love it, although I'm not sure she'll be able to lift her hand again, not with that stone on her finger."

"This is where you come in. I'd like you to hang on to it for a few days, tops, just until I find the best way to make the proposal. I'm giving it to you because Ellie is a bloodhound when it comes to these things. If I keep it in the apartment she'll smell diamond and the surprise will be ruined."

"I'll keep it in the office. It's going to be safe there. Casey loaded it with so many security systems when I hired him for it that even an insect would need a key and pass code to get in."

"Good. Then I can focus on the proposal."

"You do that, Awesome."

"See you later, bro."

Chuck stuffed the small box with its precious contents in his pocket and proceeded to drive to work. Once in his office he stashed it in one of his desk drawers and promptly forgot all about it as he started working on a new project. Yes, the last one had been a triumph, but he was not one to rest on his laurels, not when he could push himself to do even better. Morgan had the day off, so he could do all the spy work he wanted without interruptions. But he would leave that for later.

Half and hour before lunchtime he went downstairs to Castle, after getting Sarah, who until then had been busily replying to emails and reading anything mentioning Orion Games & Software in general and their new game in particular before scanning the articles and saving the scans in a specially designated folder.

"Hello Casey," he said. "Have you got anything for me?"

"Yes and no; they didn't send us anything for you to look at, but we have news."

"Good news, I hope."

*grunt* (take it as you like)

"What Casey is saying," Sarah interjected, "is that you were awarded an Intelligence Star by Director Graham."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Of course she's kidding, Moron. Listen to this: 'award the Intelligence Star to Agent Charles Carmichael for'… blah, blah, blah. Carmichael got the award, not you."

"I am Carmichael."

"He's right, Casey."

"No he's not. Bartowski is a bumbling nerd, Carmichael is a hardcore agent."

"Bartowski plus Intersect equals Carmichael," Sarah said.

"Dr. Jekyll plus potion equals Mr. Hyde," Casey countered.

"Are you saying that Chuck Bartowski me and Charles Carmichael me are two separate people?"

"They seem to be two separate personalities."

"This is where you are wrong, Casey. Carmichael retains many of Chuck's personality traits."

"See?" Chuck said.

"I'll concede the point," Casey said after thinking it over. "Congratulations Moron."

"Congratulations Chuck," Sarah said warmly.

"The happy occasion dictates that lunch is on me, for starters. There will be a more formal celebration later, between us, of course."

"Lunch is fine," Sarah said.

"Pick a place," Chuck told them and went to read the citation. "Wow," he muttered as he read the text on the computer screen. He briefly registered the hushed discussion between Casey and Sarah about which restaurant they should choose.

Eventually Sarah and Casey settled on an upscale restaurant. The three did not look out of place there in their business suits. If anything, they blended right in. The delicious dishes they ordered did not allow for variety in conversation, so they pretty much kept it to one topic: Casey's car.

"I was wondering," Chuck began, "why you exchanged your Chevy for the car you're driving now. Not that it isn't nice. In fact, it's pretty shiny."

"It's not just any car. It's a 1985 Ford Crown Victoria, limited edition. She's shiny, all right; 4.6 V8 engine, hydroglide transmission..."

"I'll stick to my Porsche," said Sarah.

"Does your Porsche have a prisoner containment area?"

"Never had a use for one."

"Well, I had mine reupholstered and also installed a state of the art GPS tracking system in the license plate. I can locate her anywhere in the world in less than a minute."

"Sarah, there is always a special connection between a man and a classic car, and the Crown Vic is definitely a classic."

"Men," she huffed good-naturedly.

"Like I haven't seen how you pamper your Porsche." Chuck's comment was one Sarah had no counter for. She glared at the smug expressions of the two men.

"How's the restoration of Morgan's car progressing?" Chuck asked.

"My guy is one of the best in the business," Casey replied. "Your friend will soon get it back, maybe even later today."

"You won't bug it, I hope."

"Nah, I'll just have a tracking system installed, just in case."

"Casey, I understand your need to protect Alex, but you'll have to give her space," Sarah said.

"And also tell her and her mother the truth about you."

"It's not that easy."

"We know. But Sarah and I will help anyway we can."

-o-

While Chuck, Sarah and Casey were out having lunch, Morgan decided to drop by the office. Even though he had the day off, he still felt that he needed to check something. Opening one of Chuck's desk drawers to find the folder and some programs he wanted, he came across the small red box. Curiosity and dread blossoming inside him, he opened it.

"NO!" What was his best friend about to do? Morgan needed some advice, so after quickly gathering the stuff he needed, he locked up, hopped on his bicycle and pedaled to Echo Park. Fortunately, Ellie was back from the hospital.

"Morgan," she asked when he saw the sweat on his brow from the bike ride and his worried expression, "are you all right?"

"It's Chuck, Ellie… we're losing him, if we haven't lost him already," he panted.

"What are you talking about?" She was starting to get worried herself.

"He's decided to take the plunge. I went to the office earlier, and while I was looking for a folder I found this." He showed Ellie the box. "He's going to propose to Sarah."

"Oh, Morgan, you really scared me! It's not-"

"It is a big deal, Ellie. I mean, it's a life decision and he didn't talk to us first about it."

"I do kind of feel left out, but Sarah is definitely the right girl for Chuck."

"I guess I should be happy that he's moving forward."

"We should both be happy for him."

"But I still want to get back at him for not telling us anything, Ellie."

"Me too," she said deviously.

"I'll hide the ring and give it back to him when he'll come to me for help, completely freaked out."

"Serves him right," Ellie chuckled.

"That's right. Now I'll take it back and hide it in my office. Then I'll go pick up my car from the shop. John was kind enough to recommend an acquaintance of his to handle the restoration."

"You're growing up even more, Morgan. Now you have your own car. Take care," she said and hugged him. It never occurred to her to ask to take a look at the ring inside the little red box.

-o-

Casey was driving them back to work when Chuck's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID screen and saw that it was Devon.

"Captain, how's it going?"

"I came up with a few ideas on how to pop the big Q, bro. How does skydiving sound? I thought I might get her adrenaline pumping a bit first."

"You run the risk of dropping the ring, Devon."

"Hmm… Never thought of that. Extreme sports setups are definitely out. I guess I'll have to amp up the creativity."

"I'm sure you will come up with an awesome idea, pun intended."

"I hope so."

"What was that all about?" Sarah asked when Chuck put the phone back in his pocket.

"Awesome's going to propose to Ellie."

"That's great!"

"It is. Thank you. I'm glad you feel that way."

"Chuck, we are friends," she said. _And we'll be more than just friends if, scratch that, __when__ I manage to tell you how I feel about you without passing out from fear first_, she thought. "And Ellie is my friend, too. I'm happy for her."

Back at the office, Chuck went through the secret emails. Thankfully there were no new files waiting for the Intersect to review them.

"Any news?" Sarah asked, sticking her head inside his office.

"Nope. Nothing. Which is good, I suppose."

"OK. I'll be in my office."

"Sarah, wait!"

"What is it?"

"I'd like to show you the ring Devon will give Ellie."

"Let's see it." She sat on the corner of Chuck's desk and waited as he rummaged through the uppermost drawer.

"Oh no! It can't be!"

"Chuck?"

"The ring! It's gone! Oh boy, I'm toast! I promised Awesome to hold on to it and I couldn't do that for half a lousy day!"

"Chuck, relax. You realize that we have the best security money can buy and then some, right?"

"Uh, yeah," he said hesitantly.

"Good. Move over," she commanded. He obeyed and she took charge of his computer. Accessing the security logs, she saw that the only person to come in after they'd left was Morgan. "See? All you have to do now is ask Morgan about what he was doing here and if he has anything to do with the ring's disappearance."

"I will do just that. Thank you, Sarah. I owe you one!" He jumped up from his seat and kissed her. Then he ran out to Morgan's office to look for the ring. Sarah was feeling her legs turn to rubber from the kiss and had to sit down in Chuck's chair for a moment. She could definitely get used to that kind of appreciation. She was still savoring the taste Chuck's lips had left on hers when the secret door to Castle behind her opened.

"Get Bartowski and come downstairs, we are about to get a new mission," Casey said.

"We'll be right over," she replied. "CHUCK!"

"YES?" Chuck yelled back.

"Castle, now," she called.

"Coming!"

-o-

"Before we start, I'd like to congratulate you on getting your first award, Mr. Bartowski," said the General.

"It's time to start calling you Agent Bartowski," Graham added.

"Just like that? What, no exam, no graduation ceremony?" Chuck asked.

"You are not in college. There will be some sort of a final exam eventually, but we believe your performance so far makes you more than qualified for a promotion. You'll still have to train with Agent Walker and Major Casey, of course."

"Yes sir."

"Congratulations Bartowski," said Casey.

"Congratulations Chuck," Sarah said with more feeling.

"Now to the matter of your new mission; once again, it's about Fulcrum. So far Agent Larkin and his contact inside Fulcrum have managed to mislead them into believing that he is the Human Intersect and have sent them on wild goose chases all over the country. Now, we are going to take the offensive and you will be part of the preparations for it."

"What the General means," Graham said, "is that your job will be to evaluate the security of the building that will be used as the LA base of operations against Fulcrum. Outwardly, it will be just another office building. Inside, the facility will be staffed by thoroughly vetted personnel. Chuck himself has done most of the vetting by reviewing their files."

"And I thought it was weird that you sent me so many personnel files," Chuck said. "Now I know why."

"When do you want this done, sir?" Casey asked.

"It has to be over and done with sometime this week. Time is of the essence, people."

"Yes sir," Chuck, Sarah and Casey said in unison.

"The details have already been sent to you. That will be all for now," Beckman said and signed off.

-o-

"How are we supposed to evaluate security?" Chuck asked. "Methinks Casey, as the security expert, is the best in this area. Do you want me to go over schematics, security system plans and the like?"

"Chuck, we'll have to go and try to break in," Sarah said.

"We?"

"All of us, numb nuts," Casey said.

"I see. Should be fun, right?"

"Wrong. The people there won't know we'll be coming. So you better hope that we'll have the time to give the proper identification codes before they shoot, if they find us."

"You mean we can get killed by our own people?"

"It's a risk we'll have to take."

"I'll get started on the briefing files," Chuck said, the engagement ring affair temporarily forgotten.

"We'll do just fine," Sarah said reassuringly and settled at her workstation.

-o-

In the meantime Morgan had gone to the shop and picked up his beautifully restored DeLorean. Casey had been right. The mechanics there had done a great job in an amazingly short time. As the boss there explained, the fixes needed turned out to be basic and easy. He decided to pick Alex up from the diner at the end of her shift and take her out on a date. Since he now had a car, they could expand their choice of places to go to. Thus it was a very happy Morgan who leaned on his new car outside the diner waiting for his girlfriend. He saw her and smiled.

"Alex!"

"Morgan? What are you doing here?"

"It's my day off from the office and I thought that you might like to go out."

"Good idea. I could use a break." They kissed passionately.

"I have a small surprise for you."

"Is it a good surprise?" Alex asked. His reply was to open the passenger door of the car for her.

"Milady," he said.

"Thank you. Where did you get a car?"

"It's mine."

"Really? I love it! It's just like the car from Back to the Future!"

"As Chuck said, the car in the movie had a Porsche engine. But the shop John recommended did a great job with this one. She's good as new. Where do you want to go?"

"Surprise me."

"How about the Griffith Park Observatory?"

"Drive on, Morgan."

-o-

The team had almost finished going over the target building plans. Chuck had already flashed several times on various aspects of the building and its security, which would make things infinitely easier. He was taking a break when Devon called.

"Hello Devon," he said and suddenly remembered that the ring was still in Morgan's hands.

"Chuck, I think I know how to do it."

"You do?"

"Yes. I'm planning to serenade her and then pop the question."

"Sounds good, but are you forgetting something?"

"Like what?"

"You need to put a band together to do it properly."

"Damn, you are right. Can you help?"

"I could get my guitar and maybe Morgan could help as well…"

"We need more than just two."

"I could also bring Jeff and Lester from the Buy More on board."

"Okay, somehow I don't think that this would be a good idea, so scratch the serenade. I'll think what else I can do and get back to you."

"Like I said, take your time."

"Moron, are you ready?" Casey called after Devon hung up.

"Uh, yeah, I'm through with the plans. Give me a few minutes to change and I'll tell you what I flashed on."

"Don't be long."

Within minutes Chuck was in full black mission gear, just like Sarah and Casey. He explained his flashes to them in detail and then they took the printouts of the building's layout and planned their entry strategy.

-o-

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Chuck, the rope has a breaking strain of over a ton. No need to worry."

"I, um, I'm just not comfortable with heights," he said, looking down the ventilation shaft. They were in a utility room in the above ground part of the CIA installation, which was just a normal office building, complete with legitimate businesses. The really secret stuff was going on underground. There were fifteen levels, all with the tightest security imaginable. They had still managed to find a weak spot and gain access, however.

"Suck it up," barked Casey. "We have a job to do."

"We'll be perfectly safe," Sarah assured him.

"Before we go, make sure you remember the safety word. It's 'Acrobat', got it?" Casey said.

"Yes," replied Chuck.

"Yes," said Sarah.

"OK. Check your harness and let's go."

They carefully slid down the shaft. By going through a connecting duct from the utility room they had bypassed the alarms on the access points for the main ventilation system of the facility. They would report the connection as a weak spot in order for the problem to be rectified.

"We are at the first level," Sarah whispered. Chuck, following behind her, had a great view of her ass in the black form-fitting mission pants she was wearing.

"Uh, okay," he stammered.

"Copy that," said Casey.

Sarah used a flexible borescope to check if there was anyone in the corridor and then removed the slatted grille before dropping lightly on the corridor below.

"It's clear, come on you guys." Chuck and Casey joined her and proceeded to find the entry to the second level.

"There it is," Chuck said and started going towards a door marked 'Level 2 Access'.

"Hold it!" Casey said. He pulled Chuck back and tossed a small object in the corridor. Immediately, innumerable small compressed air guns shot their projectiles from both sides.

"Oh, that's not good," Chuck said. "But I can beat it." He flashed on advanced gymnastics, handed his backpack to Sarah and performed a series of back flips and somersaults, successfully avoiding the tiny projectiles and reaching a control panel at the far end, where he pressed a button and disarmed the system. "Piece of cake," he said.

"Fourteen more levels to go," Casey reminded him. Sarah just patted him on the back.

Some time later they had managed to reach the bottom level, but they were all sore all over from the physical effort it took to bypass all the security.

"The security gets 7 out of 10 so far," said Casey. "We got in, but we still have to get out undetected."

"And I thought it was over," Chuck groaned.

"This way," Sarah said tiredly. She led them to a vault. They found the box specified in their orders and opened it. Inside they saw a congratulatory note from their superiors. "Now all we have to do is get out. I can't say I'm looking forward to it," she said.

They made it to the surface in one piece. While still in the utility room they had started the penetration from, they agreed that overall security was good, but not invincible. They would send Graham and Beckman their recommendations so the necessary fixes could be implemented before the facility became fully operational.

As they were walking to their van, which was parked nearby, Casey abruptly stiffened and stopped, causing Chuck and Sarah to bump into him from behind.

"Don't you lovebirds see where you're going?"

"What's the matter, Casey, why did you stop?" Chuck asked.

"Grrrrr…"

"Uh-oh… Only one thing can elicit that kind of reaction from him lately."

"Chuck, what is it?"

"Look over there." Sarah followed Chuck's pointing finger and saw Morgan and Alex leaving a movie theater (the last stop of their date after the Observatory and dinner) across the street, holding hands. Casey's growl became fiercer when they kissed. Fortunately for Morgan, they had gotten in the DeMorgan and left before Casey could think to draw his gun. His best friend now safely away, Chuck started snickering and soon Sarah joined him.

"Is it that funny?" Casey growled menacingly.

"Come on," Sarah said, not wanting a fight. "Let's go back to Castle. We need to submit our report." It had the desired effect, as Casey became again all businesslike. Back in their secret base, Graham and Beckman listened attentively as they described the flaws to the system they had discovered. Graham promised to get his people to work on fixing them ASAP. After the debriefing, Chuck changed into a button down shirt and jeans, while Sarah had put on the blue top with the little buttons, that seemed to be his favorite, over a tight fitting pair of jeans.

"What would you like to do, Sarah? I mean, we're supposed to be on a date tonight," Chuck said.

"I'm tired," she said. "Let's go to my room and order in."

"Sounds like a winner. I'll deal with Morgan in the morning."

They took the Porsche to her hotel. Chuck again took charge and ordered their dinner from a Greek restaurant, stressing that he did not want olives in one salad. He had even cheated and used Sarah's laptop to find which wine would go best with the courses. The food was amazing and after they ate Sarah said that it reminded her of a stopover she'd had in Greece, while returning from a mission.

"It was beautiful," she said. "I had a few days off and Carina had recommended that beach in Chalkidiki…"

"Would you like to go there again someday?"

"Yes."

"So would I. In fact, I'd really like to travel all over Europe with a backpack and a Eurorail pass."

"Duh, you'd better get a car."

"I don't think I'd want to spend all that money on a rental car."

"You are an Agent now, silly. You can easily wangle one from a CIA station."

"I never thought of that."

"That's because you still have a lot to learn," she said and groaned as she stretched.

"Are you OK, Sarah?"

"Not really," she whimpered.

"Would you like a massage?"

She turned and looked into his eyes. "I'd love one." He got up and moved behind her. His hands started doing wonders to her shoulders. She relaxed, closed her eyes and moaned contentedly.

"Better?"

"A little," she said. What happened next surprised her. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. "Chuck, what are you doing?"

"Relax. I'm going to give you a proper massage," he replied as he pulled her boots off. She speeded up the process by quickly shedding her top and unbuttoning her pants. He helped her remove them and paused as he admired her perfect form as she lay prone on the bed clad only in her underwear. Then he again started working on her sore spots. She inhaled deeply, clenched her teeth and gripped the covers, it was so pleasurable, especially when he reached her waist, lower back and thighs. Her body felt like it was on fire and it wanted a whole lot more than just a massage, but her mind was not yet ready to allow her to take the next step.

When he made sure she was fully relaxed and no longer sore, he opened one of the dresser drawers and was surprised to find one of his old Nerd Herd T-shirts inside. She must have swiped it from his place. He gently put it on her and tucked her in.

"I should be going home now," he said.

"Stay," she pleaded. Instead of answering right away, he stripped to his shorts and undershirt and then got in bed beside her.

"I never knew I could do all the gymnastics I did today," he mused.

"It was amazing, but I don't want to talk about the job," she said and cuddled with him. He wrapped an arm around her and allowed her to make herself comfortable against him.

"Goodnight Sarah." She had already gone out like a light. As he laid his head on the pillow, he decided to get her a new alarm clock to replace the one she had impaled to her wall not long ago.

-o-

In the morning Sarah was – surprisingly – the first to wake up. Her body was still pressed against Chuck's, who was sound asleep. She smiled and laid a feather light kiss on his lips. Carefully, so as not to wake him up, she got out of bed and went to the bathroom. All the time he was dreaming of his blonde Angel. This Angel however had a devilishly playful side that very rarely came out and when it did, it made her do things she would normally avoid. This morning it first prompted her to make breakfast for two in her kitchenette. It wasn't much, just coffee, toast and jam, but it would have to do. She then filled a glass with cold water and approached the still sleeping Chuck, grinning evilly. _That's for stealing my heart, Chuck Bartowski_, she thought and let a drop of water fall on his lips. He scrunched his face and mumbled something, but didn't wake up. _So that's the way you want it_. She splashed him with the water right on the face.

"What the-!" Chuck yelped and shot upright only to find Sarah on the verge of rolling on the floor laughing. "I'll kill you!"

"No you won't!" She shrieked when he reached out to grab her and ran away from him.

He chased her all over the room and she tried every trick in the book to avoid him. He was about to catch her when he braked hard. She turned around to see why he wasn't chasing her any more and was amazed to see why. He was calmly pouring two mugs of coffee from the pot she'd made.

"You made breakfast and that is the only thing keeping you safe from me right now, Agent Walker. Why did you wake me up like this anyway?"

"You were snoring," she lied.

"I don't snore," he replied indignantly.

"Yes you do."

"There is only one way to resolve this. I'll ask Casey for the recordings from the bugs in my room. And then you're in trouble, big trouble, Sarah Lisa Walker."

"Do you see me trembling with fear?"

"You should."

"Never. N-E-V-E-R… mmm." As she said the last letter of the word he jammed a piece of toast in her mouth. "Very funny," she mumbled around the mouthful as she chewed. Eventually, they finished eating, got dressed and she drove them to work. There, they went straight to Morgan's office to confront him. They were in a hurry, as Devon had called, telling him that he was coming to the office to pick up the ring.

"Hey you guys, good morning," Morgan said cheerfully when he saw them. But then he noticed the look on Chuck's face "What?"

"Buddy, you were here yesterday. I know, I checked the security logs."

"Yes, I wanted to study a file and also needed something for my computer at home and since I know where you keep the software for various fixes…"

"You took something that didn't belong to you."

"I don't know what you are talking about and…" He stopped talking as Sarah glared at him and leaned threateningly forward.

"Give it back, Morgan."

"What's the fuss all about anyway?"

"Buddy, it's the ring my sister is going to wear for the rest of her life, even though she doesn't know it yet. Devon entrusted it to me. It's a family heirloom, as it belonged to his great-grandmother."

"Hold on a second! The ring is for Ellie? Then it's not the one Ring to rule them all!"

"What is he talking about?" Sarah asked.

"I don't get it either, aside from being a Lord of the Rings reference."

"I thought the ring was THE ring!"

"THE ring?"

"Yes, dude! I thought you were going to give it to the girl you love. Her," he said and pointed at Sarah. "I was kind of upset that you didn't tell me and Ellie first and I was going to hide it until I could get you to admit the truth."

"Ellie has seen the ring?"

"No, just the box." Morgan opened his office safe and took the little red box out, which he gave to Chuck. "She was also upset that you didn't tell her."

"At least he kept it safe in the safe, Chuck," Sarah said.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Devon, who had just arrived, yelled.

"We're in Morgan's office!" Chuck yelled back.

"Good morning guys. Chuckster, I need the ring."

"You finally made up your mind on how to propose to Ellie."

"I think I'll keep it traditional. You know, kneeling in front of her and asking her to marry me, that kind of stuff."

"Never mess with the classics," Chuck said approvingly.

"Thanks bro. I originally wanted to spice it up a bit, pop the Q after an evening of intense seduction where I…"

"TMI, Devon. I'll remind you that Ellie is my sister."

"No, I didn't mean that. I wanted to surprise her with a romantic dinner, good wine, a movie and then give her a chocolate cake for dessert with the ring hidden inside. I would have also lit candles and strewn rose petals all over the place."

"It's a great plan."

"There are two crimps on it. First, I know that pecan pie is her favorite, but I still don't know her favorite movie."

"Casablanca," Chuck and Morgan chorused.

"Wow!"

"What? Chuck is her brother and I used to have this huge crush on her. We are experts on all things Ellie Bartowski."

"We'll make you a list of her favorite stuff, including the ideal dinner menu to romance her."

"As I was saying, I _originally_ intended to do all the above. But I don't have the time with work and all. I guess I'll just serve her the chocolate cake with a two-karat diamond ring filling."

"Captain, you know how Ellie tends to devour chocolate cakes. Odds are that even if she doesn't swallow the ring, she'll break a tooth on it."

"I never thought of that."

"Here's what we are going to do. Yes, Devon, I said _we_. We are all going to help. You stay here with Morgan and write up her favorite dinner menu. Morgan will order it from a place he knows. Sarah and I will take care of the rest." He took her by the hand and led her outside.

"Chuck, I can get us some help from the props department."

"You can?"

"Uh-huh."

"We'll need scented candles and enough rose petals to cover the entire living room."

"No problem."

Chuck also roped Casey into helping. Thus, by the time Ellie's shift at the hospital was over, everything in the apartment was ready.

"Devon, you are good to go," Chuck declared.

"You guys are awesome. I can't thank you enough."

"You are welcome," Sarah said. "Oh, can I please see the ring? I'm just curious."

"Here."

"It's beautiful. She is going to love it!"

"She's coming!" Morgan said. "Hide!" Chuck, Sarah and Morgan quickly went into Chuck's room through the Morgan Door. When Ellie opened the door they went back out into the courtyard.

Ellie had deposited her keys in their usual spot when she suddenly noticed that something was very different. Her eyes widened as she saw the place covered in rose petals, scented candles lit, a fire burning in the fireplace, romantic music playing and a sumptuous meal already served. She tentatively sniffed the air as Devon circled his arms around her waist.

"Is that pecan pie?" He didn't have a chance to answer as she jumped on him and held him tight. "I don't believe this! It's so sweet!"

Once Devon's accomplices confirmed that the plan was working, they hurried back into Chuck's room to enjoy some pizza. At one point Chuck received a text from Devon informing him that he was finally going to ask Ellie to marry him.

"Mission accomplished," Chuck told the others.

"I can't believe we pulled it off so easily," Sarah said.

"We worked as a team," Morgan said, picking up another slice of pizza and opening a can of grape soda.

"You wanna?"

"What, spy? You?" But he let her lead him to the window anyway. They saw Ellie hug Devon, having obviously said yes. "She looks so happy," Chuck said quietly, almost reverently.

"Yeah, she does."

"I'd do anything for them."

"You do something for them every day, Chuck."

"Thanks. But sometimes this whole business gets so screwed up and I hate lying to them and…"

"Don't you want to go in there and congratulate Ellie?" Sarah asked, changing the subject.

"You want to come in with me?"

"No, it's a family time."

"I know," he replied. He needed to make her realize that she'd become part of the family. She kept watching as he went in and was enthusiastically greeted by Devon and Ellie. She felt Casey come up behind her. He too looked at the scene inside.

"This is what we are working for, Walker."

"I know. I'm almost jealous of Ellie." The only answer she got was a sympathetic grunt before he turned and went back to his apartment.

Inside, Ellie was still enjoying the engagement with Devon and Chuck when she noticed that someone was missing.

"Chuck, where is Sarah? I bet she'll be thrilled."

"Actually Ellie, she's right outside."

"Didn't you invite her in?"

"I did."

"Chuck! Bring Sarah in here. Now!"

He immediately went outside. "Let's get inside," he said. "Ellie wants to see you." Not willing to give her the chance to get away, he looped an arm around her waist and pulled her into the apartment, easily overcoming her token resistance.

"Sarah!" Ellie boomed happily.

"Congratulations Ellie," Sarah said. "You too Devon!" The recently engaged couple took turns hugging her.

"Devon tells me that I have to thank all of you guys for this."

"It was a pleasure."

"Will you be my maid of honor, Sarah?"

"Come again?" Sarah wasn't sure she'd heard Ellie right.

"I would like you to be my maid of honor at the wedding. Do you accept?"

"Yes," she said. "Yes, I'll be your maid of honor." She knew it would make both Ellie and Chuck happy.

Chuck just stood and watched as Sarah interacted with Ellie and Devon. He noticed that it was one of the occasions she was acting like a real girl. He resolved to do everything in his power to make her act like this more often. And then it was time for the movie. Ellie wanted it to be a couples' movie evening, so she got Morgan to invite Alex over to join them. Nobody heard an angry grunt originating from an apartment across the courtyard.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Time to settle old scores. It's a long dialogue heavy chapter, but there is much spying, if not too much action.

Thank you all for your feedback on the previous chapters.

* * *

**Chapter 14 – The Takedown**

Chuck was in a bit of a foul mood. The last mission was finally over, but it had taken them over a week and during that time he had been unable to court Sarah as he'd originally planned. There had been no time for intimacy at all. Even their cover dates had consisted of stakeouts, pursuits, fights with Fulcrum agents and, to top it all off, his cover was almost blown on one occasion. He directed his anger at Fulcrum and resumed the twice daily chore of reviewing the various files their bosses had sent with renewed vigor. He was all alone in Castle. Last night Casey had ordered Sarah back to her room to get some solid sleep as she'd been in an almost zombie-like state from the combined effects of mission fatigue and her difficult days of the month and she'd gotten a day off from work as well. Casey himself had supervised the cleanup after the mission and was now upstairs in his cover business, drafting a plan for a client. Even he had been so busy that he didn't grumble about his daughter's dates with Morgan.

Thankfully, the last file produced no flashes, so Chuck emailed the results from the reviews and relaxed in his high-backed chair. As he did, his mind went back to planning his next steps in wooing Sarah. He rejected one option after another as too cheesy, too cliché, too aggressive or too pathetic. Sarah definitely deserved his best effort. Having almost run out of ideas, he decided to take a look at what the CIA had to offer, so he called up the textbook on infiltration and inducement of enemy personnel. Some principles, he reasoned, would apply to romantic situations as well as satisfy operational requirements. He quickly read several scenarios, but none seemed to wok for him, until he came across some recommendations by one Roan Montgomery. The name caused a flash which told him that Montgomery was an old school agent and an incorrigible Don Juan. Still, he knew how a woman's mind worked, as evidenced by his former position as a seduction school instructor for the CIA and his innumerable conquests.

"White dinner jacket, bottle of Chateau Margaux, red rose," he read aloud. "I can do all that. Where can I get the jacket, though? I'll have to rent one, unless… yeah, we should have one here in the wardrobe. Sorry for misappropriating government property, Casey, but she's definitely worth it."

He quickly found a dinner jacket that was his size and then went straight to his locker. He changed into black jeans, black T-shirt and white Chucks, which complemented the jacket really well. All that remained was to get the wine and the flower.

"Casey, I'm done with the dailies and I'm going home," he said over the intercom.

"Have a good time with Walker."

"Huh?"

"Did you forget that I have access to the interior surveillance from up here, Moron? You are getting ready for a date with her, aren't you?"

"We do have a cover to maintain."

*grunt* (cover, yeah, right)

Chuck got his car and drove to a wine store and then to a florist, where he bought the most beautiful red rose he could find. He was cheerfully humming to himself as he stepped out of the elevator and marched to her door. Before knocking he plastered a huge smile on his face.

"Chuck?" Sarah said after she opened the door, clearly surprised to see him.

"Hi Sarah."

"What are you doing here?"

He never had a chance to answer as the door opened further and another familiar face appeared.

"Hello Chuck!"

"Bryce? ! ? What are you doing here?"

"Missed me?"

"Uh, yeah, it's great to see you buddy, but…"

"Chuck's here?" The new feminine voice was also familiar to Chuck. In a flash Jill Roberts brushed past Sarah and Bryce and enveloped Chuck in a hug.

"Jill's here, too?" Talk about a huge surprise.

"Come on in, Chuck, don't just stand there," Sarah said. He followed the others inside and noticed various papers and folders strewn all over the place.

"Damn, you look good, Chuck, better than the last time I saw you. Sarah has definitely done a good job with you," Jill said.

"Before you ask, I'm here as Sarah's cousin and Jill is posing as my fiancée," Bryce said.

"We are here for a mission," Jill added.

"I can see that."

"We were about to order dinner. Nice of you to bring the wine." Sarah took the bottle from him and deposited it on the table. "Where are we going to order from, any suggestions?"

-o-

"What do you think they are talking about?" Chuck asked, nodding in the direction of Sarah and Jill, after the dishes had been cleared away.

"Whatever women talk about, I guess," Bryce replied and took a sip of wine. "They could be talking about fashion, celebrity gossip, or us."

"Us?"

"You and me, Chuck. Do you see any other guys around?" They saw the girls giggle. "Yep, they are definitely talking about us. Judging from Jill's expression, I'd say she's telling Sarah about _that_ party back in Stanford."

"Not our finest hour," Chuck said.

"Yeah… According to the guys you had to fish me out of the fountain and carry me back to the frat house."

"I don't even remember how I did it."

"I don't remember that entire night."

"Like Jill said back then, we were beyond blind drunk."

"I vaguely remember her saying something about drawing blood samples from us to see the percentage of alcohol in our bloodstream."

"Did she actually do it? You know how much I hate needles."

"Me too, buddy. But she never said anything about it again."

"No way!" Sarah exclaimed.

"It's true," Jill laughed, Sarah following suit.

"She did it," Chuck and Bryce concluded miserably.

"Care to let me in on the mission?" Chuck asked, wanting to change the subject, as the mere thought of needles made him shudder.

"It's basically about Fulcrum."

"That's new," Chuck said sarcastically. Bryce just smiled before continuing.

"Between our two teams we have managed to thwart many of their schemes. Lately, Jill has become privy to certain information, and recent developments dictate that serious action be taken. We have to join forces. The good news is that we have already identified several ranking Fulcrum agents, but none of the head honchos, unfortunately."

"But those you made can lead us to the big fish."

"Precisely. But that's not why Jill and I are here."

"What's going on?"

"The short version is that Fulcrum is trying to create an Intersect. I guess they are still pissed for not getting their hands on the genuine article."

"Can they do it?"

"Jill seems to think so. And I believe her."

"They must be stopped, Bryce."

"We'll stop them. We'll have a full briefing tomorrow."

"OK. Where are you staying?"

"We are staying in a motel for now. But we'll have to move, soon. Look, buddy, we have to call it a night. I'll see you tomorrow."

While Bryce and Chuck were talking, Sarah and Jill were been having a similar discussion. But the talk between the two women had taken a more light hearted direction eventually. They exchanged funny stories of their relationships with the two men.

"Jill, we have to be going," Bryce said.

"OK. Sarah, it was nice meeting you. Chuck, I'll say it again, you look great. See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight," Chuck and Sarah said in unison.

"Chuck, I just remembered, I wanted to give you this. It's for a real spy, buddy."

"Thanks, Bryce," Chuck said, taking the gift-wrapped package. "What is it?"

"Open it."

"Later. Thanks again."

"You are welcome."

"It was nice seeing them again," said Chuck after Bryce and Jill left.

"Yes, it was. Jill is nice."

"She is."

"What did he give you?"

"Let's see…" he opened the package. "Nice sunglasses."

"Try them on."

Chuck put them on and turned to face Sarah. "Carmichael, Charles Carmichael," he said, mimicking Sean Connery. Then, suddenly, the glasses performed a retinal scan on him and initiated a rapid sequence of images. When it ended, Chuck fell backwards, ending up on the floor.

"Chuck!" Sarah rushed to his side.

"I hate Bryce Larkin," Chuck growled.

"What was that?"

"I don't know… Wait, there is a computer chip in the frame, all fried now. I got it! These were Intersect update glasses. Now they are normal sunglasses. I'll definitely keep them."

"He could have forewarned you."

"Nah, he couldn't resist pulling a prank. Did I tell you that he was a great prankster back in Stanford?"

"No, you didn't."

"Now you know."

"Cover sleepover?" Sarah asked.

"Why not?" Chuck yawned.

"Here, take these." She handed him a T-shirt and sweatpants.

"You seem to have a tendency to swipe stuff from my room."

"Any girlfriend would have some of her boyfriend's stuff in her place. I'm just being professional."

"It helps the cover," he said, but managed to hide his knowing smile from her.

-o-

"Good morning people," Graham said. "Dr. Roberts, I presume?"

"Yes sir," Jill said.

"Allow me to congratulate you on your excellent work with Agent Larkin."

"Thank you, sir."

"So, what do you need assistance for?" Beckman asked.

"General, we have reason to believe that Fulcrum is building an Intersect computer," Bryce said.

"This is serious. Are you absolutely certain, Agent Larkin?"

"Perhaps I should let Dr. Roberts explain. Jill?"

"Thank you, Bryce. General, Director, I was recently assigned by Fulcrum to work on the development of a drug to enhance neurotransmission and memory reception."

"Are you saying that they are seeking to enhance subjects' ability to receive the Intersect?" Chuck asked.

"It's a most logical conclusion."

"How far have you advanced the project?"

"Not very far, fortunately. I told my superiors that it needs extensive research in neurology and biochemistry. It's true, of course, and they had no choice but to agree. I have also heard rumors of agents dying or going insane, leading me to believe that there is at least a test version of the Fulcrum Intersect in existence."

"Prevent Fulcrum's Intersect from going operational by any means necessary. You are also authorized to request support from any CIA or NSA resource you see fit. That will be all for now. Keep us informed of your progress," Graham said and terminated the call.

"I think they just went into panic mode," Casey said.

"Can you blame them? If Fulcrum succeeds in making an Intersect they will be almost impossible to defeat," Sarah said.

"Sarah, we have to go upstairs. Morgan will be over soon and I don't want him to find us gone."

"Bartowski's right. Go, Walker."

"You finally started the business you always dreamed of, Chuck?"

"Yes, Jill, and I'm doing very well."

"Sarah works there, too?"

"It's my cover and an additional source of income."

"What she means is that she's doing real work for Chuck," Bryce clarified.

"She was behind the release of my latest game."

"I read about the event in a magazine. The game rocks. I know, I have played it."

"Another nerd like Bartowski. We're doomed," Casey said. Everyone laughed.

-o-

Chuck and Sarah were trying to get some work done, but their minds kept wandering over to the implications of Fulcrum having an Intersect. The rogue organization already was a formidable threat, but having their agents uploaded with an Intersect… They might become unstoppable.

"Hey, there you are," Morgan said.

"Buddy, this had better be good. We are busy here and you are still not off the hook for the prank you pulled with Ellie's ring."

"I think it will be good." He waved a computer magazine in front of them. "It says here that Roark Instruments will soon release a new operating system, the RIOS."

"And this concerns us how?" Sarah asked.

"Sarah… you have been working here long enough to realize that we could, or rather should, make versions of our programs compatible with RIOS. There is money to be made and from what I read this new operating system is going to sell well. Just think about it."

"He's right, Sarah."

"Well, as the marketing manager, I should contact Roark Instruments and get the necessary information. I'll need your help, Morgan."

"You got it."

"Buddy, leave the magazine here, I want to take a look at the article later."

"Here you go."

"Thanks."

The next meeting in Castle was scheduled for lunchtime. Bryce had gone out and bought Subway sandwiches and soft drinks for everyone and soon they were all seated at the conference table, enjoying a quick meal before getting back down to business.

"I'm not complaining about Subway, but I sure miss Ellie's cooking," said Bryce and was answered by mumbled 'me too' agreements by Sarah, Casey and Jill. Chuck smiled, remembering his Stanford years when he, Bryce and Jill would sometimes drive down to spend weekends and holidays in Burbank and visit Jill's folks in LA.

"Larkin, since you found the evidence for this mission, where do you propose we start?"

"That's the problem. Fulcrum's facilities are dispersed and not easy to locate. But we can tail one of their higher placed agents and hope he'll lead us to where they are developing their Intersect."

"Who is this agent?" Chuck asked.

"He's the man who recruited me for Fulcrum," Jill said. "He happens to be a friend of the family, too. My mom and dad don't know about his illegal activities. His name is Bernard Ominsky, or Uncle Bernie as we call him." The name triggered a flash and Chuck had to get up and turn away, pretending he just wanted to throw away some trash. He knew that Bryce had not told Jill anything about him being the Intersect, for her own safety. Sarah noticed and followed him.

"Did you flash?" She whispered the question, lest the others hear it.

"Yeah," he said. "Bernie is a tough customer. Did you know that he once managed to eat a 96-ounce steak in record time?"

"Can't we nab him for interrogation?"

"He's protected all the time, unless he has to attend family functions."

"I won't let Jill risk her parents' safety by having them throw a party or anything for Bernie," Bryce said.

"Then our only option is to tail him."

"I can also put a trace on his credit cards and get more information on his whereabouts."

"Good idea, Bartowski. Do it."

"I know for a fact that he'll be in LA this week."

"It makes it a bit easier," Sarah said.

"I suggest we reconvene when we have more on Bernie's whereabouts."

"Agreed." The team dispersed, its members heading back to their cover jobs, Bryce and Jill going out to follow up on a lead she had.

A few hours later Casey called Bryce, telling him that he had a hit on one of Bernie's credit cards. Bernie was definitely in LA and now they could tail him, since they had his location. After closing time Chuck, Sarah and Casey piled in the surveillance van and drove to meet Bryce and Jill.

"What is this place?" Casey asked.

"It's the headquarters of Strength and Leadership Corporation, which is a Fulcrum front business. They recruit agents through seminars," Jill replied on their secure channel.

"The CEO here is one Bill Bergey," Sarah said, reading from the company's website.

"It doesn't ring a bell," Chuck said.

"That's Bill Bergey coming in."

"Who is this guy with him?"

"I know him," Jill said. "If he's here, something big is afoot. His codename is Leader."

"The guy is bad news, all right." Chuck had gotten confirmation from the Intersect.

"Looks like we have a Fulcrum douche bag convention," Casey commented. He quickly composed and emailed a report to General Beckman. She sent an answer almost immediately, ordering them to keep digging and she also gave them full authority to request all the support they needed.

While they were waiting for their marks to come out of the building, Chuck started reading the computer magazine Morgan had given him to pass the time. When he reached the article about RIOS, he flashed.

"Sarah, Casey, Roark Instruments is working with Fulcrum!"

"Did you flash?"

"Yes, I did. RIOS will have a back door allowing Fulcrum access to pretty much everything with this OS."

"Roberts," Casey said over the comms, "did you ever get wind of any connection between Fulcrum and Roark Instruments?"

"What?"

"Chuck thinks there may be a connection," Sarah said impatiently.

"Uh, well, we do use a lot of RI hardware, but I never really thought about it. Now that you mention it though, there were several training seminars for Fulcrum personnel given by RI staff."

"The boss, Ted Roark, must be in it up to his ears," Bryce said.

"The guy's no small-timer. I guess he must be part of Fulcrum's senior leadership," Chuck added.

"Someone else is coming to join the party. Look alive, people," Casey said. Chuck zoomed in on a balding man briskly walking towards the building.

_A globe_

_Photos of the man in military uniform_

_Document mentioning that 2LT Vincent Smith was reported KIA in Iraq_

_Smith's service record_

_Information revealing that Smith was recruited by Fulcrum_

_A globe_

"Oh, OK. I got an ID on him. His name is Vincent Smith, ex-US Army Reserve officer. He was recruited by Fulcrum back in 2000, faked his death in Iraq in 2006 to go work for Fulcrum full-time."

"Does the Intersect have any information on his current status with Fulcrum?"

"Yes. He appears to be highly placed, reporting directly to Fulcrum's leadership. They use him as a troubleshooter mostly. The guy's the proverbial bad penny. He's been presumed killed on a number of occasions."

"I thought I had killed him," Bryce said.

"Join the club," huffed Casey.

"Hey, guys, look!"

"Who is this, Bartowski?"

"Ted Roark himself… that cinches it. He's Fulcrum."

"He must be providing the hardware and software for their Intersect," Bryce theorized.

"Odds are that they are keeping it in the RI Campus."

"The place is huge, Chuck."

"I know. We have to narrow it down."

"I'll call Graham and the General, ask them to put the place under surveillance by another team. We should be going." Casey reached for his phone.

"When the replacement team arrives, we're off," Sarah said. They didn't have to wait long. Back in Castle, Chuck went over all the photos and videos they had taken to see if the Intersect could identify anyone else as being Fulcrum. It identified one man, a Lieutenant Mauser, as a Fulcrum mole inside the LAPD. The CIA would give the LAPD Internal Affairs Division a lot of dirt on this guy.

"I have nothing more to do here," he announced, getting up from his workstation. He walked to the conference room, where the others were poring over photographs and maps of the sprawling Roark Instruments facility. "What are you guys doing?"

"We're trying to guesstimate where Roark may be developing Fulcrum's Intersect," said Sarah.

"Mind if I take a look?"

"Take your time. We are going to call the bosses and see if they have anything new to tell us."

He carefully studied the schematics one by one. When he came to a blueprint, he flashed. It surprised him to find that the architecture of the Intersect was included in the data he had in his head.

"Guys, I think I have something here," he said.

"What is it, Bartowski?"

"This building looks like it is intended to house a complete Intersect system."

"Are you sure?"

"I've seen this configuration before."

"Okay," Sarah said, "we have a ballpark."

"Roark is an influential man. We can't go in with a tactical team, not even with a well substantiated search warrant. Fulcrum mustn't know that we're on to them, either. We'll have to be subtle," Casey warned.

"Time for some B&E," Bryce deadpanned.

"This is going to be fun," Sarah smiled.

Before long, the five spies were clad in black, ski masks covering their faces, festooned with the necessary gear. Slipping past the guards and into the campus was easy. Chuck had already hacked into the systems and knew all about the security arrangements, so they were easily able to bypass and avoid the cameras and the patrolling security guards.

"Which way, Chuck?" Bryce asked.

"That way. Follow me."

"There's no way we are getting in through the front door," Sarah said when they reached the cover provided by a well trimmed hedge.

"We have to find another way in," Casey agreed.

"The plans I've got show a maintenance access tunnel over there. It could lead into the building."

"Could?" Casey inquired.

"We don't have the complete plans."

"It's worth a shot," Jill said.

"OK, let's go. Roberts, do you have a gun?"

"No. I'm firearms qualified, but I never carry a gun."

"You may need one, so take this." Casey gave her one of his guns.

"I hope I won't have to use it."

"Believe me, so do we."

No more words were spoken as the three men lifted the manhole cover and sent the ladies down the shaft to the access tunnel.

"It's clear," Sarah said into her communicator. "You can come down, guys."

"Roger that. Bartowski, move it. Larkin, you're next."

"Where to now?" Bryce asked.

"We should head north," answered Chuck.

"I'm point," Casey said, putting on his night vision goggles.

"Be careful. There may be alarms ahead."

*grunt* (I'm not doing this for the first time, Moron)

"It's just like the Stanford Treasure Hunts," Jill chuckled.

"She's right," Chuck said.

"That's what you called it?" Sarah asked.

"You've played this game, too?"

"In Harvard we called it the Fugitive. We were looking for a fellow student, not an object."

"Cut it out!" Casey hissed. He led the team deeper into the tunnel, while Chuck navigated using the partial blueprints they had been able to find.

"There," Chuck said. "This door could lead into the basement."

"It's locked." Casey took out a lock pick kit.

"Let me do it," Sarah said. She had the big padlock open in no time. "It doesn't appear to be rigged with any alarms."

"The place has more security systems than Fort Knox," Bryce said. "I guess they didn't expect any intruders to make it this far."

"Fort Knox," Chuck snorted. "Ha! It's for tourists!" Both Bryce and Jill were trying – and for the most part failing – not to laugh at the comment. But they managed to keep the volume down.

"What's the matter with you three?" Casey asked.

"Nothing," Bryce said, still trying to control himself.

"You guys almost started laughing your asses off," Sarah said. "Why?"

"Die Hard with a Vengeance. Chuck quoted the movie," Jill explained.

"Oh?"

"Don't worry, Sarah. We'll get it for the next movie night."

'That's a relief," she said good-naturedly. She always enjoyed the movie nights, which meant a lot of cuddling with Chuck, for the cover, of course (yeah, right).

"Maybe you should do a Die Hard marathon, Chuck," Bryce said.

"The thought did cross my mind."

"There are no alarms," Sarah said as she finished the inspection of the access door.

"Let's go."

The basement was just like any other. It had storerooms and a machine room, all of which were carefully checked. The only item that seemed rather out of place was the high-tech emergency generator. According to Chuck it was most likely there to ensure a constant power supply to the Intersect system.

"OK, Bartowski, where to now?"

"We need to get to the second floor. The system core will be housed there."

"There is a stairwell over there."

"Larkin, you take point. Walker, you're last."

The team carefully made their way up to the ground floor. It was deserted, except for the three men in the security booth. Chuck a ruggedized laptop computer from a bag he was carrying slung over a shoulder and hacked into the building's security, looping the cameras, before giving the go-ahead. There was no sign of human presence on the first floor, so they quickly proceeded up the stairs to the second floor. They moved quietly along the corridor, until they came to a door marked 'Control Room'. Sarah was about to find a way to bypass the electronic lock when it whooshed open on its own accord. A masked figure stepped out, to find three guns aimed at him.

"Easy there," he said, his voice muffled. "There is plenty of stuff here for everyone."

"Huh?" Casey did a double take.

"He thinks we are thieves," Bryce explained.

"You are not?"

"It's complicated," Chuck offered. They were talking in hushed tones while simultaneously keeping watch for any security patrols.

"What's in there?" Casey asked the man.

"Nothing of value; just a couple of control consoles and an observation deck," the man replied. "The juicy stuff is next door. Care to follow me?"

"No tricks," Casey warned. The man just shrugged and took the lead. They followed him to the door of another room.

"This lock is top of the line," Sarah said. "I'm not sure if I can open it."

"Allow me," the mysterious man said. He typed a few commands on a wrist computer and muttered "open sesame". The door did just that: it swung open.

"How did you do that?" Chuck asked.

"Technology is wonderful."

"This is an exact replica of the Intersect room in the DNI building," Bryce whispered in Casey's ear. He motioned for Chuck to join him. "We are looking for the Cipher. It's shaped like a hockey puck and it's the system core."

Chuck produced his lucky screwdriver, the one he'd had when he used to work at the Buy More Nerd Herd and quickly opened a side panel on the terminal that jutted out from the floor in the center of the room. He had flashed on the device they were looking for when Bryce mentioned it, so he knew what to look for.

"It's not here."

"What?"

"It's gone!"

"It can't be! The system is useless without it!"

"They must be keeping it separately."

"Great! Now we have to scour the entire building."

"Or we were all just too late," their mysterious helper said.

"What do you mean?"

"Fulcrum must have fitted the core to another system."

"You know about Fulcrum?" Sarah asked.

"It's our common enemy."

"Who are you?" Chuck said.

"I'm Orion."

"Who?"

"It's OK," Bryce said. "I know him, he's on our side. Orion, it's me, Bryce."

"Damn, I must be getting old, not to recognize your voice."

"With the mask you are wearing, I didn't recognize yours either."

"We have a lot to talk about. Let's get out of here first."

Getting out proved to be as trouble-free as getting in was. Casey led them through the route they had already taken and before long they reached the van. Casey, as well as everyone else, except for Bryce, was itching to start getting answers.

"OK. Now, you are going to tell us exactly who you are."

"Fine," the man said and removed his mask.

"Dad?" Chuck blurted out. He took a step backwards in shock and Sarah supportively took his hand in hers.

"Hello, son. Bryce, nice to see you again."

"Likewise, Mr. Bartowski."

"Dad, what is going on?"

"I'll explain later. Right now you need to contact your superiors and inform them that Fulcrum's Intersect has been moved."

The ride back to Casey's office passed in deathly silence. A million questions were swirling in Chuck's mind. And everyone was thinking about the complications the Fulcrum Intersect could cause in the struggle against the rogue cabal, now that they had failed to acquire it.

"Maybe I should explain some things," Stephen Bartowski said, when they filed into the office. "Ten years ago, I realized that my invention could endanger my family, so I purged all my personal records and went off grid. I did it to protect you and your sister, son."

"Hold on a second, dad. Are you saying that you invented the Intersect?"

"The really cool parts only, but yeah, you could say that."

"And Bryce knew about you?"

"He was the only spy I could trust, especially since he kept you out of the CIA's clutches back in Stanford. Now, your friends have also been added to the list. You see, I've managed to keep an eye on you and Ellie."

"Your father is a hero, Chuck," Bryce said. "He's done a lot for this country and his family, even though you were completely unaware of it."

"Thanks buddy."

"We still have an Intersect system on the loose," Casey reminded them.

"Any news from the surveillance on the Fulcrum gathering?" Sarah asked.

"They still appear to be at the Strength and Leadership Corporation building," Casey said, after checking the updated reports on his computer.

"We're back to square one," Chuck said and plopped down on the couch."

"Jill," Sarah said, "you are the inside source we have in Fulcrum. Can you think of any place that they may have moved their Intersect to?"

"I'm trying to think about it," Jill replied as she nervously paced back and forth. Her cell phone beeped. It was a short text message. "They are ordering me to report to a Fulcrum facility for consultations."

"What facility is that?"

"I've never heard of it before. It's called 'Black Rock'. They say I'll get directions to it later and… Chuck, are you OK?"

"Black Rock is a codename for Protocol 7, a secret Fulcrum facility outside of Barstow."

"Bryce, did you send the original Intersect to Chuck?" Only now did Jill realize who the Human Intersect was.

"He did. When you mentioned Black Rock, I went over everything we had on Fulcrum bases and managed to put two and two together."

"Why him, Bryce? I thought you wanted to keep him out of it!"

"Jill, don't blame Bryce. Considering the circumstances, he did the right thing, sending it to me."

"I need a drink," Jill muttered. Casey offered her a glass of Johnnie Walker Black, which she took gratefully.

Graham and Beckman went into a frenzy when they learned about the possibility of Fulcrum's Intersect going operational a lot earlier than anticipated. When they asked Jill about how such a move was possible, considering that her research on the retention boosting drug was not even in the initial stage, she didn't know what to say. Stephen went to her rescue and explained that Fulcrum must have settled either on using the Intersect as an analysis machine, much like the CIA and the NSA had done, or accepted the risk of uploading less than ideal candidates with it. It could theoretically be doable by limiting the download volume and extending the absorption period, but it would have to be limited to the basics only and not include the expansion pack either. When he revealed himself to be Orion, the shock to Graham and Beckman was even bigger. When they recovered from it, they agreed to keep the Black Rock facility under constant satellite surveillance. If the Fulcrum Intersect threat could be neutralized, the identified members of the cabal could then be dealt with at relative leisure. It was just a matter of priorities.

"The surveillance team is reporting that they lost them," Casey said an hour later.

"They must be heading to Barstow," Chuck deduced.

"Larkin, Roberts, take the van. Walker…"

"Chuck, you come with me," she said. "We'll take my car."

"Mr. Bartowski, you are with me," Casey finished.

"OK. Son, take this." He gave Chuck a laptop computer.

"What is this?"

"It's all you'll need."

During the drive from Burbank to Barstow the only conversations were mostly over their secure radios. Eventually, Sarah turned to Chuck, who was just sitting in the car, looking out the windshield.

"Are you OK, Chuck?"

"I don't know… Learning the truth about my Dad… It's a lot to process."

""I won't pester you about it, but if you feel you have to talk to someone…"

"Thanks Sarah. I appreciate it." He caressed the back of her right hand which was resting on the stick shift and she smiled but didn't divert her attention from driving.

The team reassembled on a rise overlooking the Black Rock facility, which was an abandoned drive-in movie theater. Sarah was pulling security, while the others peered through field glasses, trying to identify Fulcrum personnel.

"There," Chuck said, "Ted Roark."

"And I see Vincent," Bryce said.

"They are all here," Jill added. Suddenly, one of the men, who was talking animatedly to Roark, clutched at his chest and collapsed. Others attempted to aid him, but eventually stood up and looked somberly at the motionless form on the ground.

"What the hell happened?" Casey asked.

"Uncle Bernie had a heart attack. He always had high blood pressure," Jill explained.

"We have a lot of new arrivals."

"Chuck, can you identify anyone?"

"Not at this range and not while they have the tops of their cars up, but I think I know why they are all here. They are the subjects that will be uploaded with the Intersect."

"I'll call the General to arrange an airstrike. It's the only option now." Casey started taking out his phone.

"Allow me," Stephen said. He entered a few commands in his wrist computer. "Now all we have to do is wait."

"What did you do?"

"I tasked a couple of Reaper drones out of Edwards with bombing the place."

"Can you do that, Dad?"

"Hacking into the USAF drone control system is child's play. Is anyone hungry?" For the first time they all realized that they were indeed hungry. Stephen smiled as he retrieved a cooler from the Vic's trunk and passed around the sandwiches and refreshments he had purchased when Casey had stopped for gas while on the road to Barstow.

"Mr. Bartowski, we have more activity," Sarah said.

"Call me Stephen, Sarah. I'm not that old, am I?" He picked up his field glasses and focused them on the projection shack. "Ted, you dumb bastard… His system is still Cipher based."

"And you think you can do better?" Casey asked.

"I already have. I designed the Cipher over ten years ago, while the new core I recently made for the Intersect is far more advanced. And it is compatible with any Intersect terminal." He was about to say something to Chuck, when a brilliant fireball lit up the sky. The Reapers had started pounding the Black Rock base. It was over in a few minutes. Eight Hellfire missiles and four laser-guided bombs expended on such a small target had a devastating effect. The few survivors from the airstrike were taken alive by the combined CIA/NSA task force dispatched to the area.

"Excellent work, ladies and gentlemen," Graham said during the debriefing.

"Most of Fulcrum's senior leadership has been eliminated and their Intersect was destroyed. We could ask for nothing more," Beckman added. "Mr. Bartowski, we'd like you to resume your former position as Orion."

"I'll think about it and get back to you."

"Let's go back to Burbank and get some rest," Casey said.

"And I'd better call Ellie and tell her that I'll be spending the night at Sarah's."

"I'm too tired to drive to the hotel," Sarah said.

"I can drive us back."

"No way you're driving my baby. Nobody drives her but me. I'll drive." There was laughter all round.

In the morning, after everyone had gotten some rest, they gathered in Castle for a more thorough debriefing. Bryce and Jill were tasked with heading the unit that would mop up Fulcrum's remnants. They said their goodbyes to Casey, Stephen and Sarah. Jill hugged Chuck and kissed him on the cheek. Then Bryce pulled him aside for some buddy talk.

"Chuck, I have one last thing I want to ask you."

"Shoot."

"How are you and Sarah doing? She's changed and I'd say she's changed for the better."

"Frankly, Bryce, I love her. I don't know how exactly she feels about me, except that she seems to like me."

"Jill has changed me, too."

"You and Jill are together?"

"Six months now and counting."

"You make a nice couple. Jill and I were doing OK, but I think we were too much alike."

"Ditto for me and Sarah."

"I guess it holds true that opposites attract."

"Yeah…"

"Look at us. It's like a cheesy soap opera, where everyone has at one time or another been involved with everyone." They both started laughing hard, drawing curious looks from Sarah, Jill, Stephen and Casey. A bro hug later and Bryce and Jill went on their way, promising to drop by again sometime and go out and have a good time with their friends.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Fulcrum's gone and Team Chuck is off to new adventures. A big thank you is in order to Doc in Oz for giving me an idea for a scene in his Republica Libra fic (you'll easily know which one) and to you all for your support.

* * *

**Chapter 15 – Ghosts of Red Tests Past**

Casey excused himself to go do some paperwork. He wanted to leave Chuck alone with his father to talk, so he also deactivated the interior monitoring systems in Castle. Sarah turned to leave as well, but Chuck gave her a pleading look and she decided to stay.

"I can see that you still have a lot of questions for me, son. Where do you want to start?" Stephen said finally.

"Frankly, Dad, I have no idea."

"Stephen, you said something about knowing Bryce since his and Chuck's Stanford years," Sarah said, trying to help the situation.

"Yes. You see, I found out about Chuck's scores. Knowing that Fleming was recruiting students for the CIA, I immediately tried to figure out a way to keep my son out of this life. Bryce beat me to it and prevailed on the professor to lower your reported score. If a fledgling agent could do that for a friend, when he could have just facilitated your recruitment and taken his share of the credit for bringing you in the fold, it means he valued your friendship a lot, more than his career. I was touched and in a sense took him under my wing. It eventually became more of a mutual back-scratching thing. I helped him and he helped me."

Chuck was still speechless, so Sarah continued asking the questions on his behalf. "You said you left to protect Ellie and Chuck. Couldn't you have stayed with them, especially since you had already purged your personal records? I'll go a step further and say that you are not even in the Intersect. Otherwise Chuck would have flashed on your codename."

"In this business you can never be too careful. There were many people who still knew me, if not by name, by sight. I could not afford to be seen with my kids. It broke my heart to have to leave, but I knew they would be all right and perhaps better off without me."

"We need to tell Ellie," Chuck mumbled.

"What was that, son?"

"We have to tell Ellie that you're back. She missed you as much as I did."

"All in due time. There are still some loose ends to tie up. You go get some rest now. Sarah, take him home."

"I will."

"Goodnight Dad."

"Aces, Charles, Aces."

"Come again?"

"You are a great spy, son. Now go, I'll see you tomorrow."

"And you, dad? Where are you going to stay?"

"I'm sure Major Casey would not mind if I crashed here."

"He won't. Goodnight Stephen. Chuck, come on, let's go."

While taking Chuck back to Echo Park, Sarah tried to cheer him up. For a very brief moment she even considered allowing him to drive her Porsche, but thought better of it.

"It's going to be OK, Chuck."

"It's a lot to process right now. I wish the Intersect had something to help."

"You are cracking bad jokes, so you are fine, too."

Ellie and Devon were at work when Chuck and Sarah entered the apartment. Wordlessly, Chuck poured himself some JWB. If it worked for Casey, it could work for him. He was certainly happy to have his father back. Stephen's return per se was not the problem. The problem was how Ellie would take it. She had been considerably affected by Stephen's departure from their lives, far more so than her little brother and having to take care of him while simultaneously training to become a doctor had not been easy. Would she accept their father back, or would she shut him out of her life? As he tried to evaluate the possibilities, Sarah appeared at the kitchen door, clad only in a pair of briefs and a tank top.

"Are you coming to bed, Chuck?"

"In a minute. Would you like some…? Hi-oh!"

"Don't be long." She turned and smiled as she walked back to his room. Her skimpy outfit had the desired effect on him: it distracted him from his worries. _It pays to follow the seduction manual on occasion. At times like this the end really justifies the means_, she thought. She was still smiling as she slipped under the covers and turned out the nightstand light. The mere anticipation of his warm body next to hers was enough to allow her to quickly fall asleep.

The morning found them in their usual cover sleepover position, i.e. with Sarah snuggled up against Chuck and using him as her living pillow-cum-teddy bear. She had deliberately set the alarm clock to go off later than usual, but still woke up on her own. As she had done once before, she brushed her lips against Chuck's as he slept. Then, careful not to wake him up, she got out of bed, put on the dressing gown Chuck had bought for her and scooted to the bathroom. A quick shower later, she was in the kitchen, trying to decide what to make for breakfast, wanting to make it better than the one she had made in her hotel room. At least Ellie's kitchen was very well stocked. The first decision was easy: she just got the coffee going. As she wasn't feeling brave – and qualified – enough to try her hand at making pancakes, she opted for cooking some eggs, bacon and toast. She had fewer chances of screwing something up that way. She was still slaving away in the kitchen when Devon and Ellie returned from their shift.

"Hi guys," Sarah said brightly. "How was work?"

"The usual," Ellie said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "What are you doing in there?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm making breakfast, or at least I'm trying to. Would you like some?"

Ellie, who knew about Sarah's woeful inadequacy in the kitchen, which she had not yet had the chance to help her remedy, was about to decline when someone, namely Devon, spoke for both of them. "That would be awesome, Sarah. We are starving," he half-said, half-yawned.

"Coffee's almost ready."

"Thanks. We brought some freshly baked croissants, too."

"Good thing you did. Saved me the trouble."

The alarm clock finally roused Chuck from his sleep. As he got out of the room, the delicious smell of breakfast reached his nostrils and pulled him to the kitchen. Sarah was still fussing over the omelets she was making, her back to him. He grinned and approached her, locked his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck.

"Smells delicious," he said.

"Thank you," she replied, smiling sweetly. "You have time to shower. I expect to have everything ready in ten minutes."

"I'll be back in ten to check," he said, gave her another squeeze and went to the bathroom. Ellie had been watching the scene in delight.

Cooking breakfast was apparently too simple an affair even for Sarah to screw up. In all fairness her dismal, or rather abysmal, performance at the Wienerlicious had been almost entirely due to her preoccupation with the mission she'd had at the time. Chuck was happily stuffing his face with a generous helping and even Ellie appeared to be enjoying the food. Chuck offered to clean up and sent his sister and Devon to get some sleep. With Sarah's help the kitchen was squeaky clean in minutes. In his room, Chuck changed into one of his favorite suits and Sarah did the knot on his tie when she finished getting dressed. She'd gone for a skirt that ended at mid-thigh, an open-necked white shirt and one of Chuck's old Nerd Herd silver gray ties, worn loosely around her neck. Not that she had any other wardrobe options, for this was the only suit she had in Chuck's apartment. She slung her jacket over her shoulder and led him to the Porsche.

"You know, Sarah, with what happened recently we have neglected our business." It surprised her a bit to refer to his company as 'their' business, but realized that he viewed her more as a partner and not as a mere employee.

"I wouldn't worry about that," she said as she shifted gears. "Morgan was coping admirably."

"I wonder if he suspected anything."

"I don't think so. He believes that you and I are, um, busy with each other. We didn't have much to do anyway."

"Okay," he said and turned on the radio. The news mentioned something about Ted Roark being killed in an accident while trying to evade federal agents who were going to arrest him on criminal fraud charges. Roark Instruments was undergoing a government audit and the release of RIOS was suspended indefinitely. "Looks like we won't have to expand our product line to cover RIOS."

"No. I think that the government is going to dissolve the company and sell its assets piecemeal."

"Should we buy any?"

"I'll think about it and get back to you."

At the office Chuck had a brief conference with Morgan regarding their next projects. They decided to work on a new game in the near future and also create a line of products for smart phones and tablet computers.

"Chuck," Sarah called from her office, "the Monster is not printing." The Monster was the master printer they had in the office. Chuck was particularly proud of it, as he had designed and built it himself. It was a bulk printer, multipurpose scanner, book binder, CD/DVD writer all in one.

"What is it telling you? There has to be a warning popup window."

"Hold on… It's run out of paper… I'll go reload it." She moved to the small room that was the Monster's lair. It was cramped, so Chuck had been obliged to be very imaginative with space utilization. As a result, the copy paper was located high up on some shelves, out of her reach. The stool was not high enough to allow her to reach the shelves and the small ladder normally located there was nowhere to be seen. She remembered that Casey had borrowed it. She stepped on the stool and then on to the Monster (Chuck had boasted that it could withstand a stampeding elephant, so it would have no problem supporting her weight). As she reached up to grab a pack of A4 paper sheets, her right knee pressed the copy button.

"Sarah, do you need help?" Chuck had come to help, knowing the ladder wasn't there. The fist thing he saw was Sarah on the Monster, which was printing away. "What's this?" He picked up the big A3 sheet the machine had just spewed out and his eyes widened at what he saw.

"Crap!" She'd just seen what it was. Sarah dropped the pack of paper she had in her hands and snatched the photocopy from his.

"You must have accidentally, um, you know…"

"I know, Chuck." As he bent over to pick up the pack she'd dropped, she fed the offending printout into the shredder. "No harm done," she said.

"At least you didn't kick my lights out."

"It wasn't your fault."

"We really need to get that ladder back from Casey."

"Uh-huh. Speaking of Casey, you'll need to do the dailies. The first batch must have arrived." Her phone buzzed and she looked at the message on the screen. "And we have a briefing in an hour."

"Another mission? Won't we ever get a break?" This translated to 'won't I ever get the chance to properly show you how I feel about you?', but he could wait. He loved her too much not to. For the moment they reloaded the Monster with A4 paper before heading back to their offices.

-o-

"Good morning lady and gentlemen," Beckman said. Curiously, Graham was not hovering over her desk as was his habit. In fact, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Director Graham?" Chuck asked.

"Unfortunately he had to undergo emergency surgery for an aneurysm. The doctors are very optimistic, but he will be out of commission for a while. I will be taking over his duties for the duration of his convalescence." The General then directed her gaze at Stephen Bartowski, who was sitting at the end of the conference table with a cup of coffee. "Mr. Bartowski, I understand that you have developed a new component for the Intersect."

"Yes, General. The new core is faster in processing the information and can make even more connections than previously possible. The Cipher is totally obsolete in comparison."

"Would you like to help us rebuild the Intersect computer?"

"Excuse me, but, if you create a new Intersect, wouldn't that make me, the Human Intersect, obsolete?"

"Don't jump to conclusions, _Agent_ Bartowski. You still have the special skills from the expansion pack and you are thus a valuable field agent, not to mention the recent intel update you received." While Beckman was speaking, Sarah was looking at Chuck. She smiled inwardly when she noticed that he straightened with pride the moment the General called him an Agent. She was also proud of him, as he had been her first – and best – student.

"Sorry ma'am. Please continue."

"Well, Mr. Bartowski?"

"The new core is still not 100% complete, General. I still have to fine-tune it and make sure that it won't be used to upload agents with the Intersect. My son was capable of handling it, but the chances finding people with this ability are one in a million."

"I am not prepared to risk the lives of good men and women either. I guess we'll just have to wait for the results of Dr. Roberts' research, however long that takes. Only then shall we attempt to go ahead with the Omaha Project."

"Is there anything else, General?"

"Nothing, Colonel Casey."

"Ma'am?"

"That's right. You have been promoted to full Colonel. Congratulations." Incredibly, General Beckman was smiling as she signed off.

"Congratulations on your chicken franchise, Casey," Chuck said and pumped the big man's hand. The others also congratulated the newly minted Colonel.

"Son, can I talk to you in private for a second?" Stephen said afterwards.

"Is it about the Intersect, Dad?"

"Yes."

"Then Sarah and Casey should hear it, too."

"It's okay, Chuck, you can tell us later," Sarah said, reassuringly placing her hand on his. He nodded and he moved to a corner with his father.

"You know I didn't want you to be involved with the spy world, but I was determined to support you any way I could. When Bryce and I acquired the update chip and made the glasses, we weren't expecting to be done with Fulcrum so soon. Son, do you want the Intersect out of your head?"

"I thought I did, Dad. Now, I'm not so sure any more."

"You do realize that a lot of the data will go stale soon, even with the update."

"I do. But a lot of it will remain useful for a long time. Let's cross that bridge when we come to it. An alternative would be regular updates. I'm sure you can manage it. At the very least you can help me remove the intel some day, but leave the skills pack in place. Can you do that?"

"I can try."

"Great, because I think I can do a lot more good as an agent."

"You always had a highly developed sense of duty, Charles."

Chuck nodded and went to tell Sarah and Casey about what he had discussed with his father. Casey grunted his approval, while Sarah hid her elation and apprehension behind an unreadable mask. She was elated because she would definitely keep working with and being around Chuck, but dreaded what the long term exposure to this business could do to his personality. She mumbled something about having to get back to work and turned to leave, Chuck following behind her.

"Barbecue in my place tomorrow to celebrate," Casey called, meaning both his promotion and Chuck's decision to stay on the team.

Chuck stopped and looked at him. "Barbecue?"

"I bought a Beast Master 2000 grill from the Buy More and I'm dying to fire her up."

"It will be fun."

Back upstairs, Chuck quickly went through the dailies and then he and Sarah worked on the disc covers for a new program they were soon going to release. Chuck had never hired a commercial artist to do his covers. He and Morgan usually took care of it, with some occasional help from Ellie. Sarah however, had an artistic vein she didn't really know she possessed, but Chuck had seen it surface on occasion. Therefore, this time he would rope her into designing the cover. If anything, she had a good eye for colors and shapes. Her wardrobe and choices in interior décor were proof enough. His suggestion came as a pleasant surprise to her and readily agreed to help. They ended up spending several thoroughly enjoyable hours on his computer, working with image creating software. The end result, with the Great Nebula in the constellation of Orion as a background for the product name and various motifs associated with it was quite impressive. Sarah also suggested using the constellation as a background for the company logo and pictures of other aspects of it, like the Belt or other nebulas, for other products. Chuck cursed himself for not thinking about that from the start and agreed wholeheartedly. They were still admiring the results of their cooperative handiwork when his phone rang.

"Hello."

"Charles, I've been thinking about what you said last night. I have to see your sister. I missed her, but frankly I don't know how she'll react."

"You know her temper, Dad. Sometimes she can explode without warning. I guess it's a chance we are going to have to take. Hold on, I have an incoming text message… It's from Ellie. She's going out with Devon tonight and she says not to wait up."

"Well then, I'll see her in the morning. It'll give me a little more time to come up with something to say when I finally see her again. For now, I think I'll just stick around here and tweak your computers to pass the time."

"Dad, be careful, these are expensive."

"They are mostly based on my designs, Charles. I know exactly what to do."

"OK. Dad, I gotta go now. See you later."

"Have a nice afternoon, son."

-o-

In the evening Sarah and Casey were called to Castle for a conference with the General. Stephen had gone for a drive, pondering on how to reveal his return to his daughter. Casey had arrived first and Sarah joined him just a few minutes later. She had changed into casual clothes and made herself comfortable in one of the chairs around the conference table. Finally, she spoke.

"Casey, where is Chuck?"

"He won't be coming."

"Shouldn't he be here for the briefing?"

"The General's message was clear. You and I are to attend, although I am as curious as you are as to why Bartowski was excluded." As if on cue, the screen came on and the General's image appeared.

"I trust you have not been waiting for too long," she said.

"No ma'am."

"Colonel, Agent Walker, I'll cut right to the chase. I called this conference because I want to work out the details of Chuck Bartowski's formal induction into our agent ranks."

"We are all ears, General," Casey said. Sarah remained silent. A growing feeling of dread was squeezing her heart.

"So far Chuck has excelled as an intelligence asset, passed all tests with flying colors and met most of the requirements for becoming an agent. There is however, one more thing. He has yet to be given his Red Test."

"What?" Sarah literally jumped out of her seat. It was what she had feared all along.

"This is what I wanted to ask you. Do you feel he's ready for it?"

"No ma'am," Sarah said before Casey could even consider a reply. "He won't do it. He _can't_ do it. When training with firearms and close quarters weapons, he has consciously avoided lethal shots and strikes, even with the Intersect activated. He'd sooner have the Intersect removed than take a life."

"Are you implying that he's content to sit back and let you and Colonel Casey do all the necessary killing, while keeping his hands clean of any blood?"

"It's not…" Sarah was getting angry. If Graham were there, he would have accepted her opinion without hesitation.

"General, with all due respect, this is bullshit." Casey had finally decided to intervene.

"Care to explain, Colonel?"

"As I said, I disagree with you, ma'am. Bartowski is not content to let us do the killing, as you phrased it. He has accepted that we are trained for it and used to it, but he also tries consistently to spare all the lives he can. As for getting his hands dirty, he has done so on several occasions. He will not hesitate to use force if necessary, as evidenced by the numerous criminals and enemy agents whose asses he kicked. That said, it is worth mentioning again that he will go to lengths to spare lives on operations, even of those who are not worth it. If not, many cells at the Supermax would be empty right now and shallow graves at Agency dump sites would have been filled in their place and both Agent Walker's and my kill counts would have been higher."

"Is that your final assessment?"

"It is, General." He sat back down and saw Sarah silently mouth a 'thank you' to him.

"There is one more thing you should consider, General," she said calmly.

"I'm listening, Agent Walker."

"Despite his achievements, Chuck never saw himself as a spy, but as a normal guy who happened to acquire spy skills and use them for the greater good. But as a normal person, sometimes he cannot control his emotions. When he's conflicted emotionally, the Intersect, and specifically his ability to use it, is adversely affected. A few days ago it almost got him killed."

"I read the report on the incident, but I was not aware of the cause."

"Neither was I at the time of submitting the report. I had a long talk with him later and the reason became apparent then. My recommendation is to totally waive the Red Test requirement for Chuck. I believe that if he's forced to do such a thing, we'll lose the use of the Intersect."

"Colonel Casey, do you agree with Agent Walker?"

"Totally, General," Casey said firmly.

"Very well then. The Red Test requirement is waived until further notice. I hope I won't regret my decision." The screen then went blank. Sarah leaned on the table, closed her eyes and let out a relieved breath.

"You know that he may eventually have to kill, right, Walker?" Sarah said nothing, so Casey continued. "I know and you should know that he won't do it because of orders, but because he'll be left no other choice, because the alternative will be unacceptable to him."

"I know," she said. "Again, thank you."

"I'm just doing my job. You are right. The Moron is worth more when he can use the Intersect." He focused on securing the communications equipment and did not see her knowing smile as she skipped out of the secret base and went to her car.

-o-

The following day was a Saturday. For once, everyone had the day off from their jobs. It would be a very important day, as Stephen J. Bartowski had finally decided to confront Ellie. Chuck was waiting for him outside when he finally arrived and parked his car next to his son's. Sarah was also there, Chuck having taken her up on her offer of support.

"Good morning Sarah, Charles."

"Ellie's inside, Dad."

"Let's do it." Together they marched to the apartment and Chuck opened the door. Inside, Ellie was discussing something with her fiancé and turned when she heard the door open. And then she froze.

"Hello Eleanor," her father said.

"Pancakes," she muttered. "You said you were going to make pancakes…"

"Oh boy… good thing I remembered," he said and produced a covered plate of pancakes from behind his back. Ellie took a step towards him and then she suddenly changed her mind and bolted for her room.

"Dad, wait here," Chuck said and ran after his sister together with Sarah.

"You must be Devon," Stephen said to the last remaining occupant of the living room.

"Yes."

"Can we sit down for a talk?"

Meanwhile, Chuck and Sarah found Ellie on the verge of tears.

"Ellie…"

"Why now, Chuck? Why did he choose this time to come back after ten years?"

"I don't really know. But, Ellie, he's Dad. You know sometimes it was difficult to understand him, but this time we have to try really hard."

"Why bother? He's going to leave again."

"Somehow, I don't think so."

"Ellie, listen to me," Sarah said. "Until my own Dad came to visit, I hadn't seen him in years. It was not as long as your dad was gone, but I missed him all the same. That said, I know that he loved me all the time and he really wanted to see me. Stephen loves you, Ellie. I can tell it killed him to be away from you, but it'll hurt him worse if you reject him now."

"Sarah's right, sis. I don't have the full facts, but Dad is here to stay. Come on. He's even brought pancakes. Let's eat them before they get too cold."

"Trust our crazy old Dad to make an appearance like this…" The three returned to the living room, where they found Stephen talking about some technical stuff with Devon.

"El, your Dad sure knows his medical equipment," he said in amazement.

"Nah… I know computers and this is based on computers."

"Still, your suggestion for a fix might work."

"It will work, trust me."

"That's good, because the in-house techs and the manufacturer's support team seem to be unable to get it to work properly for any length of time."

"Dad," Chuck said, "how about those pancakes?"

"I hope you have syrup, son." He then hugged Ellie, who hugged him back and held on to him. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"It's OK, Dad…"

Later, the atmosphere at the apartment complex was positively festive. The entire gang was there. In addition to the three Bartowski's, Devon and Sarah, Morgan had come with Alex. The women formed a small group while the men were out back with Casey, drinking beer, admiring the Beast Master and offering mostly unsolicited views and suggestions on barbecuing. The excuse for the gathering was that Casey had recently fulfilled a lucrative contract and he wanted to celebrate with friends.

"Casey, you could definitely give Sarah some cooking lessons," Chuck said while enjoying his hot dog.

"You think so?"

"Uh-huh. Despite her stint at a Wienerlicious, she told me that she can't really grill meat."

"You worked at a Wienerlicious, Sarah?" Ellie asked.

"For just a couple of weeks, when I was in college," she answered with a half-truth. "Honestly, I preferred the Orange Orange, which was my next college job. The hours were more flexible, the pay was better and my clothes did not smell like sausage."

"At least I do not have that problem at the diner," Alex said.

Sarah spent the rest of the day with the man she loved and his family. She liked Stephen Bartowski immensely. If anything, she had come to regard him as an older version of Chuck. He had the same adorable nerdy streak and the same businesslike approach to all technical issues, while being pretty much open about discussing feelings. She could tell it was still difficult for him, even after all those years, to keep secrets from his family. Ellie had dug up a couple of old photo albums and Sarah had fun going through the photos with her, noticing that Ellie had taken after her mother. All the while she was cuddled with Chuck, not only to satisfy the requirements of their cover, but mostly because she wanted and indeed needed it.

"Chuck, remind me to do a two hour workout tomorrow, will you?" Sarah said as they were getting ready for bed.

"You overdid it again," he said, referring to how much Sarah had eaten. He didn't blame her. Casey was a Grillmeister.

"Yes," she replied, looking at her figure in the mirror with a critical eye.

"You look fine and you are going to be fine." He playfully swatted her on the butt – with the back of his hand, so as not to give her the wrong impression. He didn't want to appear disrespectful.

"Hey," she yelped. "You are so going to pay for this, Chuck!"

"Make me," he teased and flashed.

"Did you just flash on martial arts?"

"Yup."

"That's not fair," she complained.

"We each have our own skill sets."

"True. Anyway, goodnight Chuck." She got in bed and burrowed under the covers.

"Goodnight Sarah." He turned on his back and waited for the inevitable snuggling, which promptly occurred as soon as Sarah fell asleep.

Chuck was sleeping peacefully when he felt an unusual pressure on him. At first he didn't react, but then it happened again. Something hit him in the gut, not too hard, but enough to wake him up. Opening his eyes, he saw Sarah thrashing in her sleep next to him. She was covered in sweat, mumbling 'no' over and over again, and from her anguished expression he could tell that she was having a bad nightmare. He was about to wake her up when she shot upright screaming in terror.

"Sarah," he said, "it's OK. It was just a bad dream. I'm here, don't be afraid." He cradled her in his arms and she gave in to his warm embrace and just sobbed quietly, holding on to him for dear life. He kept stroking her luscious tresses and making soothing noises.

"Chuck, what's wrong?" Ellie asked. She had heard Sarah's scream and got worried enough to barge into Chuck's room.

"Nothing, sis. Sarah just had a bad dream, that's all. Go back to bed."

"Oh. Tell me if she needs anything."

"She'll be fine." When Ellie closed the door he turned back to the love of his life. "Sarah," he said. She looked at him with watery eyes.

"Chuck?"

"I'm here. Do you want to talk about it? You'll feel better if you do."

"No, thanks," she sniffled. "It was just a nightmare."

"Sarah, you've had a few nightmares before on our sleepovers, and I can tell that this was far worse than the others."

"Still, it was just a bad dream. I'm sorry to have woken you and Ellie up."

"Shhh… No need to apologize."

"Can we just go back to sleep?"

"Are you sure you are going to be OK?"

"Yes, Chuck." _I'll be fine. I have you with me_, she thought. She didn't let go of him as they lay back down and went back to sleep. She didn't want to tell him about her nightmare, which reminded her of one of the worst days of her life, if not _the_ worst. In the morning she disentangled herself from her still sleeping Chuck and went for a run. She was hoping to burn the excess calories from Casey's BBQ party and also clear her head. The night's bad dream had given her a feeling of foreboding which she could not quite shake. Maybe it was because of this that she had her gun safely hidden under her tracksuit jacket. She pushed herself hard, trying to get her thoughts in order. She lost track of how long she had been running when she stopped to catch her breath near a bench in a deserted section of the park. Her heart rate had almost returned to normal when…

"Agent Walker," a feminine voice said. Sarah whirled around, drawing her gun. The person who had addressed her was a tall beautiful brunette, whom she had seen just once before.

"You are dead," Sarah said, her voice trembling. "I killed you." Her hands could not support the weight of her Smith & Wesson. Her gun hand dropped to her side.

"No you didn't, although I'm glad you believed so."

"How did you find me?"

"I saw you by chance and followed you here," the woman said. Sarah thought that the brunette might have seen her with Chuck and might even know where he lived. The gun went up again. She had to protect him, his family and her partner. "What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you, that's all." She slowly took her hands out of her coat pockets, so that Sarah could see that she was unarmed. "I should begin by introducing myself. I am Agent Evelyn Shaw, CIA."

"Graham ordered a sanction on one of our own? Had you gone rogue or something?"

"No," Evelyn said. "I'll explain everything to you." She sat down at the bench, keeping her hands away from her body and in plain view. She didn't want Sarah to perceive her as a threat and shoot before she had a chance to explain some things. "Please take a seat."

"Okay. I'm listening." Sarah sat next to Evelyn, concealing the gun inside her jacket but still keeping it aimed at the other woman.

"A few years ago, two agents went deep undercover, as part of the fight against Fulcrum. One of them was me. The other was Agent Daniel Shaw, codename Blackbriar, my husband."

"I think I'd heard of him a long time ago."

"At first things were going well. We were feeding useful information back to the CIA and we were also able to advance in Fulcrum's ranks, uncovering more and more of their secrets along the way."

"Fulcrum is out of the picture now. Is that why you came out of the cold?"

"Partly, yes."

"Why did Director Graham order me to kill you?"

"I'll get to that. My husband and I discovered that Fulcrum was not merely a faction within the CIA. It was part of a worldwide conglomerate of espionage factions, all with nefarious aims. So we started giving Graham information on this new threat. Unfortunately, my cover was compromised. I had to take action fast, in order to keep the Ring, that's the name of the, well, consortium, from digging deeper. Evelyn Shaw had to die. Graham himself orchestrated it."

"By ordering me to kill you?"

"Yes. He trusted you. When I saw you in Paris I realized that I was your Red Test, correct?"

"Was it that obvious?"

"I could tell that you were conflicted and scared. I know I was when I took my Red Test."

"How did Graham fake it?"

"Only three people knew the truth: Graham, the station chief in Paris, who happens to be a trusted associate of Graham's, and me. Do you remember who gave you the gun?"

"It was the Paris station chief. He gave me a gun loaded with blanks? I checked it and the bullets were real."

"They looked real. In fact, they were modified Simunition rounds, painted to look like live ammo. I was wearing the standard lightweight vest, too."

"Go on."

"Since I was believed to be dead, Daniel's cover was safe. The Ring stopped investigating us, since they knew the CIA had put the sanction on me. I had to go deep, under the radar, without letting even my husband know I was alive and well. My 'death' appeared to have affected him and he was going after the Ring quite vigorously. Unfortunately, it was just for show. He was setting me up to keep Graham from getting suspicious of him. The vengeful bereaved widower who claimed that the Ring killed his wife was an act. He was working for the Ring all along, you see. I only found out about this recently. Back then I was lucky to learn, completely by accident, that the Ring knew I was working for the real CIA and had time to plan the whole charade. It appears my luck is holding up, since I recognized you when I saw you on your run from the coffee shop near the edge of the park. Now, my problem is this: I can't get in touch with my contacts. I can't contact the former Paris station chief."

"He died of cancer a year and a half ago."

"That's too bad. And I can't contact Graham, either."

"He's currently recovering from surgery."

"Then I was lucky to find you. Who is calling the shots now?"

"I don't think I'll tell you that, not right now."

"I understand. Just contact your superiors and tell them that Daniel Shaw is dirty. I'll give you my card. The number is to a burn phone. I have three more burn phones, with consecutive numbers to the first one. Goodbye, Agent Walker. Hopefully, I'll talk to you again, soon. Oh, and the code word to authenticate my true status is Treadstone, pitch black operation. Ask Graham to verify my story as soon as you can." Evelyn got up and left, leaving Sarah to her thoughts. Her Red Test had been a traumatic experience for her, as she had never before killed anyone. It had never felt 'right' to her. She'd been given a photo, a time and a place, plus an order to kill. No background information or anything to confirm she was terminating a threat and thus strengthen her resolve. At least all her subsequent kills had been legitimate, but the first had been haunting her – until today.

She got up and started running back to Chuck's place, doubling back and trying several evasive moves to lose any tail she might have picked up (she still didn't completely trust Eve). She took two buses to further muddy her trail and after a roundabout trip returned to the apartment complex. Chuck, Stephen and Casey were in the courtyard talking.

"Guys, we have a situation," she said without preamble.

-o-

"Are you absolutely certain, Agent Walker?" Beckman asked when Sarah finished giving her report.

"Yes ma'am. That's exactly what Agent Shaw told me. She also gave me a way to contact her." Sarah typed the numbers to Eve's burn phones and emailed them to the General.

"I'll visit Graham at the clinic he's in and ask him about the matter myself. You did the right thing, Agent Walker. Thank you. I'll get back to you when I have more information."

After the briefing she went for a quick shower and then Chuck took her for a drive in his car. The destination was his favorite spot at the beach. He wanted to talk to her about last night and he needed a relaxed setting away from surveillance.

"It's beautiful out here, Chuck."

"Sarah, I don't want to push you, but are you sure you don't want to talk about what was bothering you?"

"I'll tell you. And no, you are not being pushy. My nightmare was about my Red Test." She knew he had learned every detail of it from her report to the General earlier. "It used to be the worst day of my life, until I learned that my kill had been staged. Graham killed two birds with one stone. He gave me my final spy test and protected the cover of a valuable agent."

"Sarah, I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"Of the time Beckman will give me my Red Test, Sarah. I don't want to kill, not because of orders and none at all, if I can avoid it."

"You will never have to take this test, Chuck. Casey and I made sure of it. Beckman won't risk losing the Intersect."

"Thank you. Thank you both."

"You are welcome. Now, do you have any ideas about what we can do until the General contacts us again?"

"I believe it's the perfect opportunity for a Die Hard marathon, like Bryce suggested the other day," he said, scooped her up in his arms and carried her giggling to the car. Movies and cuddling with Chuck. Right now she could think of no better way to spend a Sunday.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** Not much to say here. The title is self-explanatory. Enjoy! (I just hope the song isn't too cheesy)

* * *

**Chapter 16 – The Spy Who Loved Him**

Morgan was quietly humming to himself as he sank in his comfortable chair. He didn't mind staying after Chuck and Sarah had left. On the contrary, he preferred it that way. Checking his watch, he saw that he still had time until Alex's shift at the diner ended, so he decided to play one of the company's games, since he didn't have any actual work left to do. When he finally locked up to go meet his best girl, it occurred to him that something was missing from the office. He actually smiled as he thought of the perfect accomplices to help solve the problem.

True to form, he was waiting outside the diner by the DeMorgan for Alex to come out. He decided to tell her about something that happened at work in the morning. She would certainly love it.

"Hi Morgan," she said when she saw him and gave him a loving kiss.

"How was your day, Alex?"

"Boring, but I don't want to talk about it right now."

"Well, I have something to cheer you up."

"Like what?" Alex asked with a smile as he opened the car door for her.

"I got an email today at the office," he replied when he got behind the wheel. "Do you remember that I used to work at the Burbank Buy More?"

"Yes," she said slowly. She was curious as to where he was going.

"My former boss invited Chuck and me to the annual holiday party. He invites us every year, actually. We are sort of the guests of honor there."

"Sounds like fun," she said. "Although…"

"What?"

"Are those two creepy guys going to be there?" She was referring to Jeff and Lester, naturally. She had seen them at the memorable 38th Parallel release event and it was safe to say that they had not given her the best impression.

"Yes, but you'll have me to protect you."

"My hero."

"Say, are you busy tomorrow?"

"Not much in the way of classes, but I have a shift at the diner as well."

"Oh well, never mind. I'll get Awesome to help and I'll drive you home after work."

"Why, what do you want to do?"

"As I was leaving the office, I noticed that we have not yet broken out the holiday decorations. There is no one to blame, we have been busy, plus Chuck now has Sarah and I have you."

-o-

"Come on, Sarah, it will be fun!"

"I'm beginning to question your sanity, Chuck. Maybe you should stay away from computers for a couple of days."

"You don't really mean that."

"I don't, but I'm trying to make a point here. Why on earth do you want to go to a Buy More party?"

"Chuck and I are the guests of honor there," Morgan said. "I got the email with the invitation today."

"You know what I miss most, buddy?"

"Yeah… the pre-party pep talk Big Mike gives every year."

"Rule Number One," Chuck started, trying to imitate Big Mike's voice. "Jeff! No spiking the eggnog."

"Can I bring my own?" Morgan slurred, managing to sound like Jeff Barnes.

"No! Rule number two… Jeff! No holding the mistletoe over the women and copping a feel!"

"And that happens every year?" Sarah asked, laughing.

"Every year without exception," Chuck affirmed.

"Alex already agreed to come to the party with me, Sarah. It would mean a lot to Chuck if you came too."

"Okay," she said. "Just don't make me regret it."

"You won't," Chuck said, taking her in his arms.

"Dinner is ready," Ellie called from the kitchen and the three of them rushed to help her serve it and then sat down to enjoy it.

-o-

"You are lucky I have the day off, Morgan," Devon said as he walked from the elevator to the Orion offices.

"Don't tell me you prefer to be stuck with shopping-mode Ellie."

"You got a point there. Where do you want to start?"

"Well, the decorations are in the storage closet. Let's get them out first and then divide them. Remember, Sarah's office did not exist last year, so we have to be creative in the utilization of the available material." They started with decorating the lounge and then proceeded to work on the offices. Sarah's was the first. Once the result was satisfactory, they hung some decorations in Morgan's. They left Chuck's for last.

"One garland left to go and we're done, Captain," Morgan said happily. Devon just smiled and agreed. They had done a creditable job in no time at all. And then it happened. Morgan had just tacked the garland when he lost his balance and fell off Chuck's chair to the floor.

"Dude, are you OK?" Devon asked, rushing to help his friend.

"I think so," Morgan answered from the floor where he lay.

"Come on, little man, let's get you up. Tell me if anything hurts, we may need to look into it."

"Really, I'm fine." He reached to the side of Chuck's desk drawers for support as he prepared to haul himself up. Suddenly, the floor opened up underneath him. He tried to grab onto Devon, but only managed to drag him down with him. The two fell together down a chute, vertically at first and then it was slanting. They were both hollering in surprise. Finally, their combined weight pushed a trapdoor open and they crashed, still tangled together, onto a solid concrete floor.

"Devon? Are you still in one piece?"

"Yes, what about you?"

"Me too. Dumb question: where are we?"

"I don't know, man." As they started getting up three people burst into the room and pointed two guns at them.

"Sarah?" Morgan asked in total shock.

"John?" Devon was just as surprised to see his neighbor there.

"CHUCK?" Morgan and Devon exclaimed in unison when they saw who the third person was.

"Guys, what are you doing here?" Chuck asked. It was a rather dumb question, but he felt he was entitled to ask it.

"We were decorating your office for the holidays and then the floor opened up and here we are."

"Great, they activated the emergency escape system," Casey grumbled.

"The only system that doesn't need a password and a biometric scan," Sarah agreed.

"Yeah, but why was it active since I was not in the office?" Chuck was perplexed as to why the system did not secure itself after he left his office.

"The idiots who installed it set it to be active every time an authorized entry is made, not just you," Casey said, after checking the system settings.

"Excuse me, but shouldn't we get an explanation?" Devon asked.

"Yeah, what is this place?"

"Guys, I'm working for the government," Chuck said.

"Chuck, no," Sarah admonished.

"I'm a CIA agent and these are my partners and mentors," Chuck continued, ignoring her. Privately, he was happy that his friends had stumbled on his secret. He wouldn't have to keep lying to them any more.

"You are a spy, Chuck?"

"In a nutshell, yes, Devon, I am."

"You do realize that we may have to stick them in WitSec, right Bartowski?"

"No, Casey, why?"

"Because they are now a security risk, Moron. Okay, maybe Dr. Woodcomb is not going to end up in a bunker."

"Why are you letting Awesome walk and not Morgan?"

"Awesome is Awesome and Grimes is a Moron like you, idiot."

"No! I can't disappear!" Morgan protested. "I have a life, a job, a girlfriend!"

"That's it! I'm sending him to a secure bunker right now," Casey said and grabbed the shorter man by the scruff of the neck.

"Sorry buddy," Chuck said, having found the perfect opportunity to pay Morgan back for the scare he had given him regarding Ellie's engagement ring. He turned and smiled at Sarah. She understood and smiled back.

"Chuck, please!" Morgan begged.

"Casey, let him go," Sarah said. "He won't betray us, ever." She knew what Chuck meant to him and how loyal he was to his best friend, or heterosexual life partner as he liked to call him.

*grunt* (I don't want to let him go) But he released him anyway. Morgan immediately turned to Chuck.

"My best friend is a spy? This is awesome!"

"And their secret base is badass," Devon added.

"Guys, we need to talk to you. Casey, Sarah, please explain to Devon the implications of his accidental discovery."

"Implications?"

"Yes, Devon. You can't tell Ellie anything. I need you to be cool about this and cover for me with her when I have to be away. I need you to be Awesome. Can you _be_ Awesome?"

"I'll do anything for you, bro."

"Good. They'll go over the technicalities with you. Morgan, come with me."

"Oh man, I still can't believe it!" Morgan said when he and his best friend went into an empty interrogation room to talk, Chuck pausing only to take a sheaf of papers from a cabinet.

"Buddy, focus. You cannot tell anyone about this, not Alex and especially not Ellie, you understand?"

"Yes, no problem, I got your back. Anything you need, just tell me and I'll do it."

"Thanks. Now, sign these. They are the standard non disclosure agreements."

"I will, on one condition."

"What?"

"I want to know everything about how you became a spy, your missions, the whole enchilada. I'm so proud of you, dude!"

"Morgan, this stuff is classified."

"Chuck, come on! Who do you think you are talking to?"

"Fine," Chuck said. "This is what happened: It all began on the night of my birthday, when Bryce sent me that email. You could say this was how I was recruited…"

"Let me get this straight," Morgan said when Chuck finished the story, "Sarah was assigned as your handler and mentor? Does that make her your beard? But… your whole relationship is a fake? That sucks!"

"Why, because we never had sex?"

"No, I was talking about… YOU NEVER HAD SEX WITH THAT GIRL?"

"Keep your voice down!"

"Sorry. You understand how shocked I am, because I can understand how difficult it is for two people in love to have to pretend to be in a relationship."

"Come again?"

"You love Sarah, don't you?"

"Yeah…" Chuck was glad he'd deactivated the room's cameras and bugs.

"Well, buddy, she too is very much into you. Don't try and give me the 'we're just friends' line, OK? I've seen how she is around you, how she looks at you. And everyone could see how much you love her. You said that as an asset you couldn't pursue a relationship. You are an agent now, Chuck. You should…"

"Morgan, believe me, I am trying to make it perfect, but the job just keeps getting in the way."

"Then make your move now, in the holidays. I'll help and I'm pretty sure Awesome will help as well."

"Not a bad idea," Chuck said, already beginning to plan another attempt at romancing Sarah. Having three willing accomplices, even though one (Ellie) was unaware of the full facts would take some pressure off of him.

"One more thing; not an hour ago, you seemed enthusiastic about sending me to a bunker."

"I was kidding. I wanted to get back at you for the Ellie ring affair."

"Dude, that was low."

"I know," he chuckled. "Come on, sign these and let's go find the others."

"How did it go?" Sarah asked when she saw them enter the main room.

"I signed my NDA and my bro and I had a long talk."

"Captain, what about you?" Chuck asked.

"I signed my NDA and I was offered a position as medical support contractor. I accepted. I'm still a bit overwhelmed by this and kind of freaked out, but I'll do anything to help you, bro."

"No need to freak out."

"Dude, I'm a horrible liar. What do I tell Ellie?"

"The truth, except you'll leave out any mention of my other job."

"I can do that."

"Bartowski, can I have a word with you?" Casey asked.

"Go, dude," Morgan said and turned to Casey. "Colonel Casey, huh? No wonder you look so angry and uptight all the time!"

*grunt* (just give me an excuse to kill you)

"Sure, what's the matter?" Chuck asked, following Casey to a corner of the room.

"Did you tell the bearded troll about…?"

"About Alex being your daughter? No, you should be the one to tell everyone."

"I still haven't figured out how to do it, but thank you."

"I have to be going. Ellie will start looking for me soon," Devon said. "Uh, which way to the exit?"

"Come with me," Chuck said.

"I'll see you later," said Sarah.

"Guys, wait for me!" Morgan took off after Chuck and Devon. "So, Awesome and I are part of the team now?"

"Walk before you run, little buddy… or crawl first."

-o-

Sarah eventually had to admit that there was a lot more to a Buy More party than it met the eye and did not regret letting Chuck talk her into taking her there. Skip was doing a great job at the Nerd Herd station, which had been converted into a DJ booth, Marvin and Fernando were being deliciously imaginative at the fruit punch and snacks station, and Big Mike along with Anna regaled her with stories of Chuck and Morgan's glorious days as BuyMorians. She listened with interest as they told her the story of how Morgan had disoriented an armed robber with the artificial snow hose, allowing Devon and Big Mike to brutally tackle him to the ground, while Chuck was bringing in the cops through a back entrance. Eventually, Chuck returned with two cups of fruit punch to rescue her, but not before pausing to admire her as she stood with his old colleagues, dressed in a red blouse, short skirt and having her long blond hair combed straight. He then took her to the tree and picked up a gift-wrapped package.

"This is for you," he said.

"Thank you. I didn't get you anything though."

"Nah, it's still early," he replied disarmingly and smiled.

"What is it?"

"It's an alarm clock to replace the one you brutally murdered not long ago."

"How thoughtful of you."

"Mistletoe," said an obviously drunk Jeff, who suddenly appeared next to them. He had obviously ignored Big Mike's order not to bring his own spiked eggnog as well as the mistletoe order.

"Thank you Jeff, I'll take it from here," Chuck said, snatching the mistletoe from his hand and waiting until the drunken Nerd Herder staggered away, before holding it over them and pulling Sarah close to him with his free hand. Neither her body nor her brain had any will to resist as he captured her lips in a slow, passionate kiss. She closed her eyes and savored the moment. When they finally came up for air, he just held her close, giving her a feeling of warmth, safety and love. "Shall we dance?" Chuck finally asked, as Skip started playing a nice piece.

"Sure," she replied. The space in front of the Nerd Herd desk soon filled with couples. Alex and Morgan were also dancing nearby.

After the party he drove her to his place. He was happy to see that his plan was bearing fruit. The kiss they had shared inside the Buy More had little or nothing to do with cover maintenance. He only needed a little bit extra to push her over the edge.

"I shouldn't have worn these shoes," Sarah complained as she sat on the bed and kicked them off.

"They looked great on you."

"Yeah, they are worth every penny I spent on them, but I didn't have the chance to break them in," she replied, tentatively rubbing a blister behind her ankle and wincing from the pain.

"Oh, they did a number on you. Wait here, I think Ellie has something for this." He disappeared to the bathroom and rummaged through the medicine cabinet. He was back in less than a minute, having found what he was looking for. Taking a minute to read the application instructions, he wheeled his desk chair next to the bed and lifted her feet on his lap before applying the patches to the blisters. "That should do it."

"Thanks, Chuck. It feels a lot better already."

"Ellie always puts the patches on before wearing new shoes."

"I'll remember that the next time."

"Any news from work?"

"According to the General, there is no Ring activity in our area yet. Fulcrum used to handle things around here and they are no more. It'll take time for them to set up a replacement network."

"At least we get to enjoy the holidays," he remarked as he changed into a T-shirt and sweatpants. She took off her blouse and skirt, choosing to wear one of the nightgowns he'd bought for her. As they got in bed, he was finalizing a plan in his head that, if all went well, would result in them finally becoming a real couple.

In the morning he woke up first and got out of bed, careful not to disturb her. Devon was in the kitchen, mixing one of his foul tasting health shakes. He had no problem talking to him now, especially since he was in the know and the bugs had been deactivated since he'd become an agent.

"Chuckster, good morning. Care to try some ginseng protein shake? It'll do wonders for your Wang Energy."

"I'll pass, thanks Devon. I need to talk to you about something."

"If it's related to your other job, I don't want to know. It will be easier with Ellie that way."

"It is, but not in the way you think. I want to do something romantic for Sarah and I need your help."

"Bro, in that case, you have but to name it. I owe you for helping me prepare for my proposal to Ellie."

"Great. This is what I want to do," Chuck said, leaning conspiratorially close to Devon. In the end they both agreed that the plan was both great and easily executable. They would definitely need more manpower and equipment, but Chuck promised to have it covered.

Sarah woke up, took a shower, got dressed and went to get some coffee in the kitchen, blissfully unaware of what Chuck had in store for her. Curiously enough, the only other person in the apartment was Ellie.

"Hey Sarah, want some coffee?"

"Sure, thanks. Where are the guys?"

"Chuck took off early. He said something about having errands to run. Devon was called to the hospital for an emergency procedure," Ellie replied. Sarah was satisfied with the answer and did not press the issue. She thanked Ellie for the coffee and the home baked cookies and then went to drive to work.

It was not an ordinary day for her, as it turned out. Normally, Chuck would go out of his way to lighten her workload, make sure she had plenty of free time and even allow her to leave early. But today it was very different. First of all, Morgan was absent, dealing with a personal emergency, as she was told. By default, all his tasks fell upon Chuck and Sarah. In addition, a large number of inquiries had to be answered regarding the company's products. As a result, they had to take a short lunch break and she kept working well past 5 p.m. and she expected to be done by seven. She never noticed Chuck sneak out to meet Morgan, Devon and the Jeffster duo. The latter had been told that the former Nerd Herd supervisor just wanted to prepare a romantic surprise for his girlfriend. They suspected a make up attempt after a fight, but kept quiet.

"Hey guys," Chuck greeted them. "Did you bring everything I asked you to?"

"Bro, relax. We got it all," said Devon.

"Here's the guitar, buddy, plugged in and ready to go" added Morgan. "Are you sure you, uh, remember how to play? It's been a long time since you last…"

"No problem," Chuck replied. He had just flashed on guitar playing skills.

"Let's get the show on the road," said a – curiously – sober Jeff.

"How come he's sober?" Chuck whispered to Morgan.

"I promised each of them a couple of free games and a large pizza."

"Good thinking."

"Now, all we have to do is get everything ready."

-o-

Sarah looked up from the computer screen and huffed in mild annoyance when she saw that most of the lights in the offices across the street were out. Almost everyone had gone home and there she was, stuck doing some of the most boring work imaginable. At least she was doing it for Chuck, but she still wished that he'd given her a more exciting project. She stretched and got up to pace around her office when she heard something. It sounded like music. Curious, she went to her window and opened it. What she saw down in the street astonished her. Chuck was playing the lead guitar, Morgan the rhythm guitar, Jeff was on the keyboard, while Devon and Lester were by the amp and the lights they had set up. Then Chuck started singing.

_You're my everything  
the sun that shines above you makes the blue bird sing  
the stars that twinkle way up in the sky tell me I'm in love._

_When I kiss your lips  
I feel the rolling thunder to my fingertips  
and all awhile my head is in despair deep within I'm in love._

_You're my everything and nothing really matters but the love you bring  
you're my everything to see you in the morning  
with those deep brown eyes._

_You're my everything forever any day I need you close to me  
you're my everything you'll never have to worry  
never fear for I am near._

_Oh, my everything  
I live upon the land that see the sky above  
I swing within her oceans sweet and warm there's no storm my love._

_You're my everything no nothing really matters but the love you bring  
you're my everything to see you in the morning  
with those deep brown eyes._

_You're my everything forever any day I need you close to me  
you're my everything you'll never have to worry  
never fear for I am near._

_When I hold you tight there's nothing  
that can harm you in the lonely night  
I'll come to you and keep you safe and warm it's so strong my love._

_When I kiss your lips I feel the rolling thunder to my fingertips  
and all awhile my head is in despair deep within I'm in love._

Sarah brought one hand up to cover her mouth and clutched the window sill for support with the other. She was deeply moved by the gesture. Her eyes brimmed with tears of joy. She felt special, the way only one man in the whole world could make her feel. And that man was professing his love for her in a most spectacular way. A tear rolled down her cheek as a huge smile formed on her face. Happiness and euphoria spread outwards in rippling waves from her heart throughout her whole body. She acknowledged to herself that she had finally found the courage to openly admit her feelings and act on them.

Across the street, in his office, Casey was also watching the scene. "Nice move, Bartowski. If she doesn't fall for it, she must be a bigger coward than I thought," he muttered to himself and grunted his approval of the whole setup.

When the song ended, Chuck quickly handed the guitar to Devon and ran into the building and up the stairs to the second floor where the Orion offices were located. He found Sarah still standing near her window, almost not believing what she had just witnessed.

"Chuck…"

"Sarah, before you say anything, let me tell you that you are the best thing that ever happened to me. I won't start reciting what makes you so special to me, because that would take far too long. It will suffice to say that thanks to you I've come a long way from the guy I was when we first met in San Francisco. That guy was leading an almost boringly normal life and now I have the chance to make a difference, I have already begun to make some difference. In the beginning I was not sure how to take what happened with the Intersect and all, but now I know: I want to be a spy and I want to be with you. I know how hard it must have been for you to try and stay professional despite the feelings you obviously had developed for me, as many people have told me and I have even noticed myself. I also know how difficult it is for you to open up to someone, to place yourself in an emotionally vulnerable position… OK. I have just given the fancy eloquent speech and right now I'm just going to be blunt and honest. I love you. It feels like I've been bottling it up forever, telling you only when you were asleep while spending the night with me for cover. I love you. Just one more time for good measure, because it feels so good to say, I love you, Sarah Walker, I always have." He stopped talking and took a deep breath.

"Chuck," she began, but never had the chance to say anything else, as he tenderly cupped her cheeks and kissed her. He then released her and stepped back. She looked at him like she wanted to speak, but could not form words.

"Sarah, please say something. Did I interpret the signs correctly and you really love me too, or did I come down too strong, possibly making an ass out of myself in the process?"

"Yes," she said.

"Oh boy, I should have known… I went over the top, while I should have given you more space, more time… I should probably go and…"

"No, Chuck. _Yes!_"

"Uh, excuse me, what?"

"Chuck, I fell for you a long time ago, after I carjacked you and before you escorted me to the boarding gate at the airport, so… yes. Yes." She closed the distance between them and kissed him.

"Wait, you didn't tell me, how was my performance?"

"It was great, Chuck. The important thing is that I realized that, spy or not, you will never change. At first I was afraid you'd become just another heartless agent. It was kind of a Catch 22 for me: I couldn't be with you while you were an asset and I originally thought that you wouldn't be _you_ if you became an agent. But after everything that happened you haven't changed, you are still Chuck... You are still _my_ Chuck." They looked at each other and smiled. Chuck then moved to the still open window and gave the thumbs up sign to the others below before turning back to Sarah and kissing her again.

"Looks like it worked. Damn good job, Bartowski," Casey said, relaxing in his chair with a cigar and a glass of good whiskey.

-o-

While driving her Porsche to Echo Park, Sarah had an epiphany. She speed dialed Chuck, who was in his own car, and put the phone on speaker.

"Hey honey," he answered on the first ring.

"Chuck, did you by any chance give me all that work deliberately to keep me in the office until late today?"

"Uh…"

"Spill it," she commanded.

"I'm sorry to have overworked you, but I needed time to herd up the crew and transport the mission gear. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"You already did, Chuck, although I wouldn't say no to something extra. What that will be, I'll leave it up to you." She blew him a kiss and hung up.

They parked their cars side by side. Casey's Crown Vic soon took its usual spot. Even though it was dark, they could both swear that the Colonel had actually smiled at them as he headed to his apartment. Ellie looked up from her magazine when she heard a key in the door. She smiled widely at what she saw: Chuck and Sarah entered the apartment kissing passionately. It certainly explained why it had taken him so long to open the door.

"Where have you guys been?"

"Oh, hi sis. We were, um, at work."

"This late?"

"Blame Chuck," Sarah said. "He planned it."

"He planned what?"

"I…"

"He deliberately kept me at work so that he could have enough time to prepare to serenade me."

"It sounds so romantic!" Ellie squealed.

"You saw the results."

"Aces, Charles," Stephen Bartowski said from the kitchen. Chuck and Sarah looked at him; he was wearing the chef's hat and apron Chuck had once gotten Devon and was wielding a spatula.

"Dad, what are you doing there?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm cooking dinner, chicken with balsamic glaze, my specialty. It won't be long now, so grab a beer and make yourselves comfortable."

If either Chuck or Sarah had bothered to take a good look inside the kitchen, they would have noticed the quantity of food Papa Bartowski was preparing. The answer to the inevitable question would have been simple: Morgan, Alex and Casey would be joining them for dinner. The meal was a fun affair. Morgan and Devon were proud of their part in helping make Chuck and Sarah a real couple at last. Of course, they explained it as helping their buddy prepare a romantic surprise for his girlfriend.

"Dad, I hate to say this, but Chuck is a better cook than you are," Ellie said.

"Your Dad is a better cook than I am," Sarah countered, coming to Stephen's defense. "But then again I have Chuck."

"Don't underrate yourself, Sarah. Your desserts are to die for."

"I wouldn't say no to another chocolate soufflé sometime in the near future," Casey added. "Pass me the salad please, Grimes."

"The chocolate soufflé can wait. I need Sarah to help me make a gingerbread house and sugar cookies in a couple of days." Ellie took her Xmas cooking seriously and was planning to make Sarah take cooking as seriously as she did. She wanted the best for her little brother. He was a better cook than their dad, but only marginally so. His girlfriend however, clearly had potential.

"I'll be delighted to help," Sarah said. _I only hope that the Ring will let us enjoy the holidays_, she thought. _Oh crap! I also have to buy gifts for everyone! I'll start working on a list in the morning. Tonight, I have __other_ _plans._

After dinner Chuck and Morgan cleared the dishes and then engaged in one of their favorite pursuits, playing video games. Stephen and Casey had left; Devon was watching extreme sports videos online, while Sarah, Ellie and Alex were sharing a bottle of wine, talking about girl stuff. Sarah was letting the others do most of the talking, but she was definitely enjoying it. Even for a short while she was getting to be a normal girl and she wouldn't trade that for anything in the world.

"Look at them," Ellie said. "I sometimes wonder how you put up with their nerdy habits."

"That's what makes them so adorable," Sarah said and Alex voiced her agreement.

"They are very considerate towards us, so they deserve it," the youngest girl added.

"Basically, you do the same thing. You do put up with Devon's quirks because you love him."

"Those two are going to keep playing their games for another couple of hours or so, at the very least. What do you ladies suggest we do until they're done?" Ellie said. Various options were put forth, and in the end Alex's idea for a card game won out as none of them was really in the mood for chick flicks.

"Read them and weep. Two pairs," Sarah gloated, laying her cards on the table and sweeping the Monopoly scrip from the pot towards her.

"Damn, Sarah, you cleaned us out," Alex said. "Good thing we're not playing with real money."

"How come you are so good at poker?" Ellie asked.

"Harvard," Sarah replied.

"Do they teach how to gamble there?"

"Not really, but I learned it just the same."

"Ready for another round?"

"You deal, Ellie."

They had been so focused on their game that they didn't notice Chuck and Morgan as they turned off the game console and the TV, until they embraced their girlfriends from behind.

"How's it going?" Morgan asked Alex.

"Sarah is on a roll."

"Are you a gambler?" Chuck asked her.

"I've learned to take my risks," she replied seductively.

"I'll drive Alex home, it's getting late."

"Goodnight guys," Chuck said. Sarah and Ellie hugged Alex and also wished her and her boyfriend goodnight.

Chuck was still in the bathroom, while Sarah was already in his room. She stripped off her business suit and found one of his shirts to wear before getting under the covers.

"Hey there, beautiful," he said, sat on the edge of the bed and kissed her.

"Chuck, I almost can't believe it. I never thought it was possible."

"Well, I did and I believed in you. You just needed your time, that's all. And a slight push."

"You don't know how happy I am right now."

"That makes two of us."

"You play the guitar really nice."

"Uh, thank you. I admit I'm a little rusty, but the Intersect came through for me once again."

"You cheated, Chuck?"

"I meant to do it all by myself, but the moment I took the guitar in my hands I flashed. I don't regret it, as you deserve the best and I'm not sure I could have done the song justice otherwise," he babbled. She just smiled.

"Shut up and kiss me." She didn't have to say it twice. He took her in his arms and locked lips with her, while simultaneously kicking off his shoes and pulling back the covers to get in bed with her. They didn't break the kiss as their hands started eagerly exploring each other's body. The frenzied activity of the start soon gave place to slow loving caresses. He peeled his shirt off of her and trailed kisses from her lips to her chin and down her neck. She moaned in pleasure and buried her fingers in his unruly curls as his lips found and teased a particularly sensitive spot. Their kissing was only interrupted so that she could undo a couple of buttons and pull the dress shirt over his head. She fumbled with his belt buckle and he tried to open a nightstand drawer to get the necessary protection, all without looking.

The first time they made love was a combination of outbursts of raw carnal passion and tenderness, sometimes alternating, some times simultaneously. In the end they snuggled together, completely spent, Sarah clinging possessively to him and Chuck holding her close with his arm. They were beyond happy. Neither of them really believed in fate, but it looked like everything had led them to this moment. They would not have it any other way. He took a deep breath and gazed into the sparkling blue pools of her eyes.

"I love you, Sarah Walker."

"I love you, Chuck Bartowski."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: **I decided to try my hand at holiday stuff. It's still early, but who cares, right? I also managed to keep it well within the T rating.

* * *

**Chapter 17 – Business and Pleasure**

Sarah stirred and groaned in annoyance as the alarm clock started blaring. Her hand instinctively reached towards her handbag for a knife, but Chuck, realizing her intentions, stopped her.

"Please spare my alarm clock," he said, turning it off. "And good morning."

"Good morning Chuck." She kissed him and gingerly got out of bed, still sore from the night's wild bedroom gymnastics. "I'm going to take a shower," she announced. He turned to look at her, his hands clasped behind his head.

"You might want to put something on first," he said, his eyes roaming over her perfect naked body. "Ellie and Awesome are still here." She actually blushed and reached for a robe before rummaging in her drawer for clean underwear. Giving him another bright smile, she skipped out of the room, thinking that she would maybe have to change her address from Room 832, Maison 23 Hotel to Cloud Nine, Seventh Heaven.

Chuck, for his part, stretched his long limbs and decided to make breakfast for everyone. Something happened however, that made him make a slight change in his plans.

"I WAS MADE FOR LOVING YOU BABY; YOU WERE MADE FOR LOVING MEEEEE… AND I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF YOU BABY; CAN YOU GET ENOUGH OF MEEEEEEEEEE?" Sarah's singing in the shower could clearly be heard in his room where he'd just pulled his shorts on. Sarah had a lovely voice, but obviously when singing with the volume turned way up she tended to inevitably drift off-key, way off-key. She was still vocally massacring the song when a pair of strong hands grabbed her, pinned her against the wall and, before she could react and at the very least send her assailant to the hospital, Chuck's lips were on hers and his tongue was demanding entrance into her mouth. She accepted the challenge and her own tongue dueled with his for supremacy, the contest ending in a most satisfying draw. She hooked one leg around his body, pulling him closer and feeling his arousal. From there, things quickly spiraled out of control. Later, she (and he) would admit that the morning shower quickie was a most invigorating way to start the day. Sarah's note: Quickie was a relative term, considering Chuck's amazing stamina and self-control.

Another pleasantly normal activity was helping her boyfriend make breakfast. They were just about done when Ellie and Devon appeared.

"Hey guys," Sarah said brightly. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Sure, thanks," Ellie said, looking at Sarah and Chuck.

"Breakfast will be ready in a few," Chuck added. "Take your seats."

-o-

"How did it go? Come on, man, I want details," Morgan said.

"Gentlemen don't kiss and tell."

"Uh, actually, I don't want to know that kind of details. But did it work?"

"It will suffice to say that it worked better than expected."

"So you and Sarah are now official?"

"Hell yeah."

"I'm so happy for you, dude!"

"Thanks buddy, but we should better get to work."

"What kind of work, this, or the _other_ one?"

"_You_ will do your job for Orion Games and Software as usual. I am the one working two jobs here."

"You and Sarah, Chuck," Morgan corrected. "Where is she by the way?"

"Oh, I don't know. Did you look in her office?"

"No, why?"

"Because that's where she is," Chuck said with a straight face. As if on cue, Sarah appeared at Chuck's office door, with a big smile on her face.

"No Chuck, I'm right here," she said and rested an elbow on Morgan's shoulder. "And I have news."

"Go ahead."

"I just got off the phone with the editor of Computers Unlimited. They are offering us a deal: Free advertising in their magazine in exchange for permission to give one of our programs for free in one of their upcoming editions. What do you think?"

"Did they say which program they want?"

"Not specifically, but they'd like one that is both useful and entertaining. I told the editor to email us with the full details of his proposal and we would consider it then."

"You did the right thing, Sarah."

"We still need to decide on which program to give away, should we agree," Morgan pointed out.

"Hmm, I was thinking about the Director's Cut with the Cartoon expansion pack."

"I'm not familiar with it," said Sarah.

"It's our video editing software. The Cartoon pack allows the user to make any video look like a cartoon," Morgan explained.

"Plus, it can splice together videos of all formats and save the result in any desired format. For example, you can take a segment of a flash video, combine it with a part of a Windows Media Video and save in QuickTime format. It's a very entertaining program, easy to use and has many applications, especially the Professional version."

"It sounds like a good idea."

"I'll expect you to examine the proposal and make your recommendations based on cost/benefit evaluation. Work with Morgan on it."

"You got it," Sarah and Morgan said in unison.

"Is there anything else you might want me to take a look at?"

"Not now, we didn't get the new files for review yet."

"I have some work to do in my office. Call if you need anything," Morgan said and left them alone, closing the door behind him. Sarah wasted no time getting on her boyfriend's lap and kissing him passionately.

"You must show me how to use Director's Cut," she said huskily.

"Sarah, each one of our programs comes with good instructions and an excellent tutorial."

"I know, but I'd rather have you give me the on the job training tutorial – and the benefits that come with it." She kissed him again.

"Good thing I have it in my computer at home," he said, smiling. She didn't get off of him as she filled him in on the latest company matters that required his attention. While they were dealing with them, the email from the editor of Computers Unlimited magazine arrived. They read it carefully and replied with their suggestion for the free program after concluding that the offer was satisfactory.

"Chuck," she said when they were done, "it occurred to me that I'll have to go buy Xmas gifts."

"I can give you a couple of hours after lunch today. Would you like me to come with you?"

"You are very sweet, Chuck, but no thanks. I want to try my hand at choosing the perfect gift for everyone."

"I'm sure you'll do great."

"What makes you so sure? I mean, I suck at relationships."

"You are making good progress and in the end you can use your super spy skills to figure out what to get who." He smiled again and she smiled back. She appreciated his support for her.

Time flew by and eventually the three friends went to get Casey and go to their usual haunt, the diner, for lunch. Alex wasn't on duty, but they didn't mind. The good food by itself was a reason they patronized the place. After lunch she asked Chuck if his offer for two hours off still stood. He answered in the affirmative and she took off immediately.

As a student in Harvard, Sarah loved shopping. She never spent much money, but she enjoyed the whole process, especially walking around and looking at shop windows. This time she was more alert than usual, looking for anything that might strike her as the perfect gift for each one of her friends. Less than forty five minutes later, she had already found and purchased a brand new double hose scuba air regulator for Awesome, a very nice perfume for Alex and a set of kitchen utensils styled like medical equipment on a surgical tray-like magnetic holder for Ellie.

She had half an hour left before it would be time to go back to work and she still hadn't found anything for Chuck, Morgan and Casey. She almost missed it as she hurried along. Perhaps it was the distinctive musty smell of old paper that made her turn and look. It was a small antique bookstore, located between an apartment building entrance and a barber shop.

"Hello miss," the old man who was running the store greeted her. "What can I do for you?"

"Hi, I'm looking for gifts for some of my friends."

"Feel free to look around."

"Thank you."

"Is there anyone special you might want to get a gift for?"

"My boyfriend," she smiled.

"What do you think he'd like?"

"Frankly, I don't know."

"Tell me something about him and I'll see what I have for him here."

"Well… he's a confessed Nerd."

"Then I have the perfect thing for him." The old man took her arm and led her to one of the bookcases, where he handed her a book. "I think he'd love this." Sarah took it in her hands and carefully leafed through it. It turned out to be a rare hardcover first edition of a graphic novel. She knew for a fact it was, as she had once heard Chuck mention it and how badly he wanted one, but those on offer on Ebay were either fakes or too expensive.

"I'll buy it," she said. She didn't care about the cost. Chuck had given her a far more precious gift. As she followed the old man to the register, the faded gold embossing on another book's spine caught her eye. She picked up the book and told the shopkeeper that she'd buy it too. It was an illustrated history of the Marine Corps during the Second World War, published in 1948. It was the perfect gift for Casey. Deciding to be a few minutes late, she headed for the Buy More. When she entered, Anna Wu intercepted her before Jeff and Lester had a chance to get close.

"Come with me, Sarah," Anna said.

"What's going on?"

"Would you like Jeff or Lester to help you?"

"As much as I appreciate the help they gave Chuck yesterday, I think it would be better to avoid them today."

"Smart girl. What can I do for you?"

"I want to buy a gift for a friend."

"What kind of gift?"

"I have no idea," Sarah confessed.

"Oh well, would you like to take a look around?"

"No need to," Sarah said. As luck had it, she'd just found the perfect gift for Morgan: A computer controlled USB desktop Nerf missile launcher that was modeled after the real life Improved Hawk missile launcher and dartboard with electronic score display. "I'll take this one."

"Nerd gift… who is it for, Chuck or Morgan?"

"It's for Morgan, actually."

"He's gonna love it."

"I know," she chuckled. On the way to the register, she spotted and picked up a small TV that looked like an ancient computer monitor for Stephen. She paid, gave Anna five stars on the customer comment card and went back to the office. There, she discovered that Chuck was already done with the dailies. Since Morgan was busily sorting through his email inbox, she grabbed her boyfriend and took him to the supply closet. They were ravaging each other's mouth when Chuck remembered that they needed protection, so he reached for his wallet while holding Sarah close with his other arm. He was still kissing her when he brought the wallet up behind her head and opened one eye so that he could visually locate the condom he kept in it. Instead of the desired object, however, he found a neatly folded piece of paper, unfolded it and read _'IOU one condom. Your pal, Morgan'_. He stepped back from her and looked again at the note in shock. "I'm gonna kill you, Morgan," he muttered and stormed out, leaving a confused, slightly disheveled and greatly aroused Sarah behind.

"What happened now," she mused. Noticing the crumpled piece of paper Chuck had dropped on the floor, she picked it up and read the note, getting as angry as her boyfriend. She ran out and found Chuck outside Morgan's office. "Where is he," she hissed.

"He's inside, talking to a customer on the phone."

"When he's done, he's mine."

"Take a number, Sarah."

"Ladies first," she insisted.

"It'd be better if we ganged up on him. I mean, this affected both of us and we are a couple, right? We should deal with this as a couple."

They peeked inside and saw the target of their combined wrath absentmindedly tossing a small soft rubber ball in the air again and again after hanging up the phone. Sarah reached to the thigh holster under her skirt and drew one of her throwing knives, which she hurled at Morgan's ball with practiced precision, hitting it in mid-air and impaling it to the wall.

"What the…?" Morgan jumped, to find his friends barge into his office, looking really angry. "Are you guys OK?"

"Buddy, we need to talk."

"Chuck, if it's about your other job, I've kept my nose, my beard and my whole body out of it."

"We are talking about this, Morgan," Sarah said and tossed the crumpled IOU to him.

"Very subtle, honey," Chuck commented.

Morgan recognized the note and scrunched his nose. "I was actually going to make good on this IOU today, so why the fuss?" He glanced at Sarah, who was almost about to explode. His eyes flew wide when he realized why Chuck and Sarah were acting like this. "Oh! You were about to… and you needed the… wait, you were going to do it here, at work?" He was surprised, but not offended. As he reasoned, those two had been madly in love with each other for some time now and had finally acted on their feelings just the previous day, thus they had a lot of lost time to make up for. He nodded and smiled as he made up his mind. Unfortunately, Sarah misunderstood and got even madder at him. Chuck had to physically restrain her from reaching out to hit his friend. Morgan wasn't watching, for he was bent over opening the bottom desk drawer. "Here," he said, tossing Chuck a small packet of condoms. "Just wait until I'm out of here and, please, don't do it in my office, OK? I'll be across the street at John's."

"Back to the supply closet," Sarah ordered after Morgan left.

"Where's the fun to it now?"

"I'll show you fun," she said resolutely, with a salacious grin.

"At least we have extra supplies now… Who's your mama," he yelped as she towed him towards the supply closet by the tie.

-o-

"What are you doing here, Grimes?" Casey asked brusquely as Morgan entered his office and plopped down on the couch.

"I had to get away from the office, John."

*questioning grunt*

"That's right. There are things going on in there that… never mind."

"Where's the brain bleach?" Casey said and got up when he realized what Morgan was talking about, looking for his whiskey. "Want some?"

"Sure, thanks." He took the glass Casey offered him and held it up. "To Chuck and Sarah," he toasted. "May they keep enjoying life to the full."

*grunt* (I don't think one bottle will be enough). They clinked glasses and Casey disabled the surveillance of the Orion offices, just in case. Good thing he did, because Chuck had locked up and then proceeded together with Sarah to defile the supply closet, his office, her office, the lounge and the Monster's Lair. Only Morgan's office was spared.

She was relaxing in his arms on her office couch as they tried to catch their breath. Turning to look at him, she gave her best, brightest smile, the one she reserved for him and him alone.

"We should do that more often, Chuck."

"It was amazing, but the venue is not that suitable. I suggest we reserve it for special occasions." She gave him a disappointed look. "Or after hours," he added.

"Works for me," she said and started buttoning up her shirt.

"You didn't tell me, how did your shopping trip go?"

"It was great. I found everything I was looking for. I'll put the stuff under the tree when we get home tonight," she replied. He noticed that she referred to _his_ apartment as 'home', not her hotel room. Maybe he should ask her to move in with him, but not right now. It was too soon for such a thing and he did not want to spook her. The transition from a cold spy to a somewhat normal girl who happened to be a spy wouldn't happen overnight. He needed the perfect timing.

-o-

"Good afternoon people," Beckman said.

"Good afternoon ma'am," Chuck, Sarah and Casey responded.

"I'll begin with some good news; Director Graham is recovering well from his surgery and will soon be back with us. Also, your review of the daily package resulted in good actionable intel, Chuck."

"Anything for us, General?" Casey asked.

"No, Colonel, things are still quiet in your area. Bryce Larkin and Jill Roberts confirmed Evelyn Shaw's findings. The Ring will need time to make up for the loss of Fulcrum in general and in Los Angeles in particular. So unless something urgent comes up, you are free to enjoy your holidays."

"Thank you, General, happy holidays to you, too," Chuck said.

"Happy holidays, General," Sarah and Casey said in unison and then the videoconference ended.

"That has to be the shortest briefing ever," Chuck commented.

"I don't mind," Sarah said flippantly and propelled her desk chair closer to Chuck.

"Ugh, keep it in your pants, you two," Casey said. "This is government property, you know."

Getting back upstairs, they found Morgan diligently at work, trying to forget what had happened earlier. The holiday season was always busy as sales tended to spike. This year, the games produced by Orion Games & Software were selling even better. The success of the latest one had prompted many gamers to take a look at earlier releases, so they had gotten an influx of orders. Morgan had managed to take care of everything and there would be no shortage at the stores.

"Buddy, you earned a hefty bonus," Chuck said.

"Thanks. You should give Sarah a raise as well. Her aggressive PR campaign and her ideas for advertising have paid off in spades."

"I've already got the biggest bonus possible," Sarah said, smiling and looking into Chuck's eyes.

"Ready to call it a day, buddy? Tomorrow is Xmas Eve."

"Sure, just let me wrap up a couple of things here. I've made arrangements so that we won't have to be here tomorrow. Anything requiring our attention can be dealt with from your place." The phone rang and Sarah answered.

"Orion Games and Software, Mr. Grimes' office," she said.

"Sarah, hi, it's Ellie."

"Hi Ellie, what's up?"

"What are you doing still at work?"

"We are just about done here and will be coming home shortly."

"Good, because I'll need your help. We've got a load of baking to do for tomorrow and we need to start today."

"Oh, OK."

"Sarah, relax. It's just cookies."

"See you later, Ellie."

"I thought Sarah Walker is not afraid of anything," Chuck remarked. She took him aside.

"Chuck, I think you should know something about me… Until now, I didn't do Christmas. With my dad, it used to be all about an annual con job."

"You'll do fine, if today is any indication. I mean, you did your shopping, you are adapting."

"I have you to thank for it," she said and accepted his loving embrace.

"Done," Morgan called. "Let's close up shop and go home. I'll pick Alex up from school. Her mother will be away visiting relatives, so we'll be spending the holidays together."

"OK, buddy."

-o-

Back in the apartment, Ellie was in full chef mode. Awesome was sitting in the living room, occasionally wincing at the sounds coming from the kitchen. He didn't want to look. His fiancée was on a roll, cooking dinner and at the same time laying out the ingredients for the cookies and gingerbread. He was actually relieved when the door opened and Chuck entered arm in arm with Sarah.

"Hey guys, you're back, finally."

"What's going on?" Chuck asked and Devon pointed at the kitchen.

"She's close to reaching critical mass, bro. I tried to help, but she wouldn't let me."

"I've never seen her like this. I wonder what's wrong."

"Sarah!" Ellie called.

"I'll be right over," she replied and ran to Chuck's room to change from her business suit into a pair of jeans and a blouse. She then went to the kitchen. "What is it, Ellie?"

"Put this on." Ellie thrust an apron into Sarah's hands.

"Okay, what now?"

"Wait a sec… OK." She checked the pasta she had boiling in a pot and closed it again, satisfied with the result. "Now we get started on the cookie dough."

"Is there anything you want us to do, sis?"

"Stay where you are and don't you dare come in here!"

"Help," Sarah mouthed silently to her boyfriend, her eyes pleading.

"Sorry, Sarah, you are on your own. Ellie won't bite. Not much, anyway." Sarah resigned herself to her fate and meekly stood by Ellie.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Since you said that your chocolate soufflé turned out so good because you followed the recipe to a T, I've prepared some instructions for you. I want you to read them and try making a small quantity of dough."

"I'll try," Sarah said and carefully read the note with the instructions for the test batch of cookie dough Ellie wanted her to make. "Hey, this is easy," she commented after a couple of minutes. Something had sent her spy senses tingling, however. She almost laughed out loud when she realized what it was. "Ellie?"

"Yes?"

"Are we going to eat the pasta straight up?"

"Huh?"

"Shouldn't we make some kind of sauce, get the parmesan and the cheese grater out…"

"Crap! I totally forgot!"

"Or we can send the guys to buy one of those ready made sauces."

"As long as I am cooking, the sauce will be home made."

"Let's do this." Sarah did have some experience in spaghetti sauces, so she and Ellie whipped one up pretty quickly.

"Devon, could you please open a bottle of wine?" Ellie said when dinner was ready. They sat down to enjoy the girls' (not just Ellie's) cooking and afterwards Chuck and Devon were once again banished to the living room while Sarah and Ellie resumed working on the cookies and the gingerbread house.

"That should do it," Ellie said finally. "We'll do the baking and the rest in the morning. I'm beat."

"So am I," Sarah yawned. She cuddled with Chuck on the couch and fell asleep while watching TV with him. At first he didn't notice, but when he did, he carried her gently to his room, got her in her PJs and tucked her in. Incredibly, the blonde super spy did not wake up. She was secure in the knowledge that she had her spy boyfriend to protect her. He too changed into sleepwear and got in bed, holding Sarah close to him.

In the morning Sarah demanded – and got – her quickie, right there in his bedroom, to compensate for the lack of nighttime 'exercise'. She was still trying to catch her breath when he got up and put some clothes on and went to the bathroom. He paused as he noticed condensation on the mirror above the sink and wiped it away. Thus he saw the reflection of Captain Awesome doing the same on the clear Plexiglas screen of the shower stall. And he was not alone in there. His sister was hiding behind her fiancé's muscular body.

"AAH!" Chuck screamed in horror.

"Ah!" Ellie's scream was more restrained, but she was no less embarrassed.

"Morning Chuck," said Devon lamely.

"My eyes, MY EYES! OH I'M BLIND, I'M BLIND!" Chuck yelled, covering his eyes with his hands, and fled towards the safety of his room. He almost collided with Sarah in the hallway. She had heard him scream and had hurried to get to him, gun in hand and still having only a sheet wrapped around her naked body.

"Chuck! What's going on? Tell me," she whispered urgently.

"It's OK, sort of. Put that gun away," he whispered back.

Later, at the breakfast table, an awkward silence prevailed, until Sarah asked Devon why Chuck and Ellie were acting so embarrassed. The answer caused her to start laughing hard, until it brought tears to her eyes and she only paused to breathe when she ran out of air.

"Sarah, shut up and get your butt in the kitchen," Ellie commanded. "We need to start baking, and we have a lot more to do after that."

"Okay… hah… I'll… ha-ha... be… heh... right… ha... there, ha-ha-ha!" Sarah choked out and yelped as Chuck slapped her ass to prod her along. She gave him a half-threatening, half-promising look and followed on Ellie's heels. As they started baking the cookies and prepared the frosting for decorating them, Sarah had a fresh bout of laughter.

"What is it this time?" Ellie asked, understandably annoyed.

"I just realized something funny," she replied, managing to collect herself. "Had Chuck and I gone to the bathroom when we woke up, it would have been _us_ in the shower and you and Devon would have caught _us_ in the act." She started laughing again and Ellie shuddered again at the thought of what had happened and what could have happened instead.

The cookies were soon ready and the girls were busy decorating them before proceeding to making the gingerbread house, having fun all the while and also having to fend off Chuck and Devon who wanted to sample the results of their girls' baking. The day was all about friends and family. Morgan and Alex were the first to arrive, followed by Casey, who, for once, did not look like he minded at all about the intimacy between his daughter and her boyfriend. Stephen was the last to arrive. Sarah also called her sister, who revealed that she was in DC with their father, but had been snowed in and could not fly out to LA as they had originally planned. The day passed with the assembled gang having a great time, talking and watching movies. Sarah had not felt so relaxed and happy in a long time, especially since Casey had pulled her and Chuck aside and told them that Beckman still had no mission for them.

Dinner was for the history books. All three girls had worked hard, the men taking it upon themselves to defuse their freak outs by rushing to the store to buy whatever ingredients happened to be missing or in short supply. When the dishes were finally cleared away, they all gathered to watch one more movie in the living room.

When they finally called it a night, Casey retired to his apartment, while Morgan and Alex were given the guest bedroom by Ellie. As for Chuck and Sarah, they went to his room.

"Well, Sarah, I still can't believe that you don't have a favorite song or band… What's your favorite live show?" Chuck said as he finished changing into his pajamas.

"Music has never been a priority for me," she replied, pulling him close for a kiss. "But I'll have you know that the other day I found a favorite song."

"That's _our_ song, Sarah."

"I don't care. I'm feeling good even without a favorite song."

"Sarah, you are a genius! I know the perfect song for you!"

"Huh?" She was curious now. Propping herself up on one elbow, she watched with interest as he browsed through his excellent vinyl collection. He turned and gave her the patented Bartowski Smile & Eyebrow Dance Combo as he started a record. Nina Simone's voice singing 'Feeling Good' filled the room.

"This is going to be your favorite song," he said as he got in bed beside her.

"I love it." She cuddled next to him and molded her body to his. Soon, they were both asleep.

The morning of Xmas day Chuck got up early and ran to the bathroom. Unknowingly, he had woken Sarah up. She smirked evilly as she hurried to the closet and pulled out a box she'd put in there the previous day. Thus, when he returned to his room, he found Sarah wrapped in a midnight blue silk sheet, tied with a bright red silk ribbon.

"This is your first present of the day, Chuck," she said invitingly.

"I love you, Sarah," he said and started opening his present. (The things that followed would have pushed the rating far above and beyond M, so they'll be left to the readers' imagination)

Later, when they all reconvened in the living room, still in their PJs, they started opening their presents over cookies and hot chocolate. Chuck had put some pieces of paper with their names on them in a pot and started pulling them out one at a time, to see who would open their presents first. As it turned out, the first name that came up was Casey's.

*grunt* (Let's see what we've got here.) He opened the first one, which was from Ellie, a beautiful silk tie. Devon had gotten him a set of barbecue paraphernalia, knowing how much he treasured his new Beast Master grill. Morgan and Alex had bought him the collector's editions of Heartbreak Ridge and Sands of Iwo Jima. Chuck's gift to him was a Call of Duty figurine of a Marine, while Stephen had made a nifty gadget for him that was most useful in his cover and his actual job. When he opened the gift from Sarah, his jaw dropped.

"It's a 'Hit the Beach' original first edition copy", he said reverently. "I read it at Annapolis once, but I was unable to locate a copy, until now. Thank you. Thank you all."

"My turn," said Morgan. As expected, the gifts he got were rather nerdier in nature, and he was enthusiastic about the Nerf missile launcher.

"I'm next," said Awesome, after Chuck pulled his name from the pot. He pronounced all the gifts the others had gotten for him absolutely awesome and he gave them big appreciative hugs.

Alex then opened hers, followed by Ellie, who squealed in delight when she saw what Sarah had gotten her. Stephen followed, finding the photo album with snapshots of his children's lives very touching. Chuck grabbed his girlfriend and kissed her passionately when he opened the neatly wrapped comic book she'd found in the antique bookstore. Sarah almost cried when she saw that Chuck had gotten her a digital photo frame, which contained a slideshow of some of their most treasured moments.

"You are such a Nerd," she said. "But this is one of the reasons I love you so much."

Throughout the day, they all just bonded even closer. Ellie was astounded to learn that her father had legally reclaimed his patents from the now defunct Roark Instruments and was now independently wealthy. He had thus made arrangements to pay off his daughter's student loans, as a minimum compensation for not being able to be there for her.

Chuck and Sarah found Casey looking out a window and decided to have a talk with him.

"Casey," Sarah began, "how long are you going to be putting off, you know, telling Alex and her mother the truth about you?"

"Yeah, buddy, just take a look at my Dad and Ellie. Kathleen and Alex may be mad at you in the beginning, and justifiably so, but they'll come around eventually."

"It's not that simple, Bartowski. I hurt Kathleen a lot… not to mention that I'm still an NSA agent…Telling them about me won't be easy."

"I'm sure the General will show considerable understanding."

"Does she know about your pre-recruitment background?"

"No, Walker, she does not."

"One more reason for you to come clean."

"Come on, Casey, many agents have families, so why not you as well?" Chuck insisted.

"Chuck, Sarah, thank you for your support, but I still need time." He looked at his daughter, who was cuddling with Morgan, having a friendly argument with Awesome and Ellie as to the next movie they wanted to watch.

-o-

Xmas day passed and everyone returned to work. For Chuck this meant writing software, taking care of the day to day running of his company with the help of Morgan and Sarah, while in between doing the twice-daily intel reviews and training with Sarah and Casey. As both seasoned agents admitted, he was getting better at everything, both with and without the Intersect.

"How was your firearms training session, Chuck?" Sarah asked as she was finishing her warm-up exercises in the dojo.

"The usual," he casually replied.

"Meaning that you two turned it into a contest again," she deduced.

"Something like that," he said admiring her workout gear clad body for the millionth time.

"Okay, New Year's Eve is coming up in less than a week, so we'll keep it from getting out of hand. I don't want any injuries on either of us, otherwise we are going to have a devil of a time explaining them to Ellie."

"No problem; what do you want to start with?" He was warming up as they were talking.

"Nothing much, I think a little judo will be good."

"I'm ready."

They took up positions, but this time he didn't flash. More accurately, the Intersect attempted to initialize and give him the required skill, but he chose to turn it off. He would try it on his own this time. They started the session and he was pleased to note that he could mostly remember what to do from the previous times he had used the skills.

"Chuck 1, Sarah 0," he said cockily, as he pinned her on the mat.

"This is not a contest, Chuck. I'm trying to train you to use the Intersect properly."

"Then you are wasting your time." He straddled her body and leaned closer.

"What are you talking about?"

"I was not using the Intersect."

"Come again?"

"That was all Chuck Bartowski, baby. Charles Carmichael has taken the day off."

"Can Chuck Bartowski deal with this?" She twisted her body and managed to flip him on his back. Now she was on top.

"Chuck Bartowski likes girl on top."

"Stop it! This is a training session!"

"In that case…" Sarah suddenly found herself on her back, pinned down to the mat once again. "Still no Intersect," he said and kissed her. They managed to remain serious and focused for the rest of the session, but when they were done, they needed something more.

"Can you please rub my back in the shower?" Sarah asked seductively.

"Down here? The place is loaded with cameras!"

"Not in the locker rooms, silly."

"Still, Casey might walk in on us…"

"We'll avoid the men's locker room then," she replied.

"What?"

"Don't tell me that you never wanted to see what's going on in the girls' locker rooms?"

"I'll have you know that I'm very respectful of women, especially the one I love."

"The woman you love wants you in the shower with her, now."

"Your wish is my command," he said and followed her to the locker rooms.

"For future reference, the supply closet down here is also surveillance free."

"I'll keep it in mind."

-o-

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one… Happy New Year!" They had all joined in the count down. When the clock announced the arrival of the new year, the couples in the courtyard embraced and kissed. Wishes were exchanged all round. The occupants of the Bartowski/Woodcomb and Casey apartments had claimed the space by the fountain for their small party. The weather had once again been cooperative, the place was tastefully decorated with garlands and strings of lights, plus the snacks, prepared by the girls and Casey (on the Beast Master) had been delicious.

"Happy New Year, Sarah," Chuck said and gave her a loving kiss under the approving looks of their fathers and sisters, Jack and Carina having finally managed to fly to LA.

Ellie and Awesome, plus Morgan and Alex had also kissed and now were dancing to a slow piece playing on the stereo system Chuck had rigged up. Most surprisingly, the efficient DJ was none other than John Casey, which explained the classic mix.

"That didn't look like a cover kiss to me, little sis," Carina said, pulling Sarah aside.

"It wasn't. Chuck and I are dating for real."

"This is the part where I'm supposed to start giving you the 'thou shalt not break the cardinal rule of spying' speech, but I won't. I was rooting for Chuckles from the beginning."

"So was I," Jack added. "I'm really happy for you, baby girl. By the way, your Mom says hi. She's still in Europe and could not fly over here. That job of hers really gets in the way sometimes."

"Like our jobs are much different," Carina remarked.

"So true," Jack agreed.

"Still, I have you two here with me. I can honestly say that this is the best holiday I've had in years."

"Jack," Stephen called, "we are about to start the toasts for the New Year. Are you and the girls coming?"

"Sure, we'll be right over." The two fathers had liked each other from the moment they met. Secretly, each one was hoping that some day they'd become in-laws.

-o-

The holiday festivities eventually came to an end. Chuck, Sarah and Morgan met in the parking lot and walked to the Orion offices for the first time in the new year and settled down to their familiar routines. It was not boring, as it usually included considerable excitement, from finishing a new product, to finding new ways to sell their games and software. For the first time, Casey even consented to allow Morgan to observe Chuck's training sessions, which impressed him mightily.

"Dude, I still can't believe what I saw you do down there! It was awesome!" Morgan enthused after they returned upstairs.

"Morgan…"

"I know, I know… It's classified. Don't worry, buddy. My lips are sealed."

"Good. What are you doing there?"

"I'm connecting my gift to the computer. Can you stay and break it in with me?"

"It's gonna be fun."

"Sarah should be here, too. She got it for me, after all."

"I'm right here," she said smiling. The next hour was happily spent with the three taking turns launching the Nerf missiles at the electronic scoreboard. When they increased the distance, Chuck got a hit dead center with the first try, prompting accusations of cheating with the Intersect, to which he indignantly replied that it did not include Nerf related programming.

"Walker, Moron, come downstairs in thirty. The General called. Looks like we have a mission," Casey said over the intercom. Everything was returning to normal.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: **Now that I have made them a couple, I could not resist taking an episode from the series and adding a few evil (even if I say so myself) plot twists.

Once again, a big thank you to all for your support. I have thanked you personally in my replies to your reviews, but I feel I must repeat it here.

* * *

**Chapter 18 ****– Dry Run**

Casey was already downstairs, waiting for Chuck and Sarah to arrive for the briefing, when the main screen came to life.

"Colonel, the mission has been scrubbed," Beckman said.

"May I ask why, General?"

"It's been assigned to another team. Something else came up and we may need Team Chuck for it. I'll get back to you when I have more."

"Yes ma'am," Casey replied and called Sarah to let her know that the briefing had been canceled.

-o-

"What did Casey want?" Chuck asked.

"The briefing's been canceled. We may be needed for another operation, but other than that, I don't have a clue. He didn't say when we'll get more information, either."

"We'll deal with it when it comes up. We always do."

"It's getting late," Morgan said.

"Yeah, we should be getting home. It's Chinese takeout night and Ellie's taking care of the menu."

"Do you think she'll order…?"

"She might have mentioned it, buddy. She knows how much you like it," Chuck replied, knowing what Morgan meant.

"Then I'll go get Alex and meet you at your place."

"Go, we'll close up here."

"Guys, what are you talking about?"

"A little delicacy called sizzling shrimp," Morgan clarified. "We are going to pack our bellies so full of shrimp, we're going to make a seal jealous." As he playfully poked Sarah in the stomach with a finger, she jumped slightly, almost imperceptibly, but Chuck noticed. _The high and mighty Sarah Walker is ticklish_, he thought. _That might come in handy on occasion._

-o-

Casey had just returned to his apartment. Even takeout dinners at the Moron's place were very filling, so he just grabbed a Coke and settled down on his recliner to watch one of the movies he got as a present a few days ago. He had just paused the movie and was about to go get a cigar when the screen flickered and his boss appeared.

"I hope I'm not interrupting, Colonel."

"Not at all, General. What can I do for you?"

"I have a new mission for you. One high ranking Fulcrum member, who had been on the run since the takedown, was traced to this LA cul-de-sac." An image of a suburban neighborhood appeared on the screen. "He was killed resisting arrest, which was unfortunate, as Bryce Larkin had reported him as a person of interest. He may have even been in possession of information about the Ring. We took the liberty of purchasing his house there. We need the intel, Colonel. I think I need not stress the importance of this mission."

"General, I don't know how well I'd fit in out there," Casey said, inwardly shuddering at the prospect of having to spend time in the Hell of Suburbia.

"Not you, Colonel; we need a _normal_ couple," said the General and a sly grin appeared on Casey's face.

-o-

Chuck and Sarah were heavily making out on his bed. He had listened to her complain, as she usually did, about having had too much to eat and needing extra workout time and so on and so forth and such like. In the end, he used the only way he could think of to shut her up: kissing her. It worked, only too well, as they were seconds from ripping each other's clothes off when Sarah's phone beeped.

"What now?" Chuck groaned.

"It's Casey. Looks like we finally have a mission." They snuck out the Morgan Door and met Casey by the fountain.

"You two are going to have to drop your dating 'cover' for this mission," he said without preamble.

"No problem," Chuck said, both curious and excited. "What is it this time, Thai street racing gang, Ukrainian prostitution ring?" Sarah gave him the 'you've been playing too much Grand Theft Auto with Morgan' look, but said nothing. Casey just smiled evilly and paused for effect.

"No, for this mission, you and Agent Walker are going to be married," he said with an undertone of sadistic pleasure. "You two kids are going to the suburbs. Good luck as a _normal_ couple." He pulled two wedding rings out of a pocket and handed them to his partners, who took them and just stared at them, not knowing what to say. He then did an about face and went chuckling back to his place.

"So…" Chuck began uneasily.

"Yeah," Sarah replied.

"Where did he get those?"

"Huh?"

"Where did Casey get the rings? Are they part of the standard spy kit or something?"

"Something like that," she said, still shell-shocked.

"Well then, Sarah, would you like to enjoy our last night of freedom before we become Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael?" It did the trick and Sarah snapped out of her funk.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." She allowed him to pick her up and carry her back inside his room through the Morgan Door.

-o-

"What are you doing, little brother?"

"What does it look like I'm doing, Ellie? I'm packing some clothes."

"And why's that?"

"Sarah and I are going to be house-sitting."

"This is wonderful!"

"House-sitting in the suburbs… it's a dream come true," he mocked her.

"It's definitely a step forward, cohabitating with your girlfriend in a house without posters that were hung in the eighth grade," Ellie insisted, theatrically indicating Chuck's beloved Tron poster.

"This is a collectible," he corrected her.

"Still, it's good, because it's sort of a dry run, you know, for when…" Ellie indicated her engagement ring.

"Sis, zip it, that's your wedding craziness talking right now, so keep that, it's yours."

"It's still progress," she said and happily skipped out of his room.

-o-

"What's with the new car, dude?" Morgan inquired. He'd seen Chuck and Casey check out a new SAAB SportCombi in the parking lot.

"It's Agency issue."

"So, you got a mission? Cool, is there anything I can do to help?"

"Just cover for Sarah and me here, buddy, although I don't think we, or I at least, will be out of the office much."

"Can you tell me anything else?"

"Sorry, I can't."

"No problem, I understand."

-o-

Sarah had left the office a couple of hours before Chuck did. He got in his NSA-issued car and followed the GPS instructions to a very nice suburban neighborhood. Parking the car in the driveway of the Carmichael house, he got out and took a good look around. It was a nice place, and also he found himself looking for any threats, plus mapping all possible egress points. He was doing it subconsciously, which meant that he was beginning to think like an agent – at least when on missions.

If the house was beautiful on the outside, it was more so inside. Chuck smiled as he saw the various photographs documenting the life of the Carmichaels. His thumb played with his wedding ring as he admired Sarah's handiwork. Even the photo of them at Comic-Con was there. The one thing that made him look twice was a picture of a dog, a magnificent Golden Retriever. Said dog passed him as he went to find Sarah, stopping to sniff his 'master' and wag his tail.

She was in the kitchen, lugging around a huge bowl. From the doorway, he took in the sight of her in a checkered one-piece dress and turquoise cardigan. She looked every bit the young suburban housewife. A lethal, drop dead gorgeous young suburban housewife, he corrected himself. His smile got wider as he thought of the perfect movie for the night's entertainment.

"Hello Mrs. Carmichael," he finally said.

"Welcome home, Mr. Carmichael," she replied and planted a quick kiss on his lips before going back to whatever she was doing.

"What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm making potato salad."

"Don't tell me you're cooking for the entire neighborhood," he teased.

"No," she replied, accepting the challenge. "You are." She thrust a huge plate of hamburgers, sausages, steaks and the like into his hands.

"Wha- what?"

"We're having a 'get-to-know-the-neighbors' BBQ in the back yard. Welcome to the suburbs."

"Now I know why Casey didn't want this assignment," he whispered in her ear. "Still, I love what you've done with the place."

"I had help," she replied. "The movers were one of our crews."

"Did you look for…?"

"Yeah… but came up dry."

"OK, let's get the show on the road and then we'll go over the place together."

For the next couple of hours Chuck and Sarah mingled happily with the neighbors. None of them triggered any flash, which was quite a relief, since they would be free to focus on finding the intel hidden somewhere inside the house. 'Mr. Carmichael' also proved to be very capable with the Beast Master 2000 grill. Sarah confirmed it had been Casey's idea for the Carmichaels to have one. All in all, the BBQ party went well, with only one fly in the ointment: one of the neighbors, Sylvia, nicknamed Crazy Cougar Lady by Chuck, was putting the moves on Mr. Charles Carmichael. 'Mrs. Carmichael' did not like it one little bit.

-o-

"Oh boy," Chuck groaned and collapsed on the couch, "who knew a simple barbecue with the neighbors would be so exhausting?"

"Tell me about it." She snuggled next to him. "On top of it I had to watch that slut flirt with you all the time."

"My, my… are you jealous, Sarah?"

"Whether you are Chuck Bartowski or Charles Carmichael, you belong to me, just as I belong to you as Sarah Walker, Sarah Carmichael, Elana Truffaut, Eva Anderson and- Chuck, what's wrong?"

"Next time you are going to mention one of your former aliases, please give me some advance warning. I flashed on both of them."

"Really?" She snuggled closer. "What does your database have on my past exploits?"

"I didn't see much, as I stopped the flash, but you really are a badass spy, although I don't need the Intersect to confirm that."

"It's so sweet. You are keeping your promise not to poke into my past."

"I told you, I'll never do that without your permission." She took her in his arms, kissed her and then started massaging her shoulders.

"It's still early. Let's relax for a while and then start looking around the place. I suggest we go through every room, together."

"It's a good plan," he agreed. So, they watched TV for a while and then spent an hour looking into every nook and cranny in the kitchen.

"Nothing," Sarah said. "It's not in here."

"Yeah… It's going to take us at least a couple of days to go through the entire house."

"Let's go over the storeroom before calling it a night."

"OK."

The storeroom was also a bust. Chuck at one point suggested checking the plumbing and the ventilation, but Sarah said that these had already been checked by the NSA movers. He expressed doubts as to whether they would be able to find what they were looking for, since an agency team had failed. She tried to encourage him by saying that the NSA people did not have enough time to go over everything. At least the house had been swept and pronounced clean. No bugs were found anywhere.

The first night at the house was mostly spent 'reinforcing their cover', i.e. doing what a newly wed couple would do. And this was the part of the mission they enjoyed the most. Needless to say, sleep was not their first priority. In the morning Chuck went to the kitchen following the wonderful smell of breakfast, yawning all the way down, the dog following on his heels. There he was greeted by the sight of a radiant Sarah, in the sexy pink nightgown she had not worn for long last night, making breakfast.

"Hi," she said when she noticed his presence, "did you sleep well?"

"Like a log, honey, how did you sleep? And… what are you doing there?"

"I'm cooking breakfast," she said.

"OK. What, are we going to invite the neighbors over?"

"No, Chuck. I'm cooking for you," she replied and immediately noticed the goofy grin that appeared on his face. "What?"

"Nothing… It's just…funny; I never pictured you doing this," he said as she chopped some herbs for the breakfast omelet she was making.

"Well, what can I say? I'm versatile," she said smiling. "Sit," she commanded. He obeyed and she served him breakfast.

"Hold on. Are… are you enjoying this whole Martha Stewart thing?" She gave him a funny look. "I can't believe it! Please tell me you're not going soft on me."

"Shut up and eat your breakfast," she said, while enjoying some fruit.

"You better be careful Sarah; one day you might actually turn into a real girl." They both smiled. Chuck started eating and marveled at the taste. Ellie's occasional cooking lessons had not been for naught. Sarah in the meantime was feeding the dog.

"I've got your suit ready upstairs," she said when they finished their breakfast.

"Thanks honey," he replied. "By the way, is the dog an agent too?"

"What?" The question was a bit weird to her, until she realized he was joking. "No," she laughed, "he 'works' for the props department."

As he went to take the car and drive to work, she caught him outside.

"Sweetie," she called. He turned and saw her in a robe matching her nightgown and fluffy bunny slippers. "Sweetie, I almost forgot. Would you mind swinging by the store for me?" She gave him a list of things to buy. "Have a great day." She kissed him and waved goodbye with the dog by her side as he drove away. _I could get used to this_, he thought. Being 'married' to Sarah Lisa Walker did have its perks. For a fleeting second he wondered if it would all be just as good had they been married for real.

Sarah was humming to herself as she finished doing the washing up and decided to play with the dog in the living room. She'd always had a soft spot for the four-legged furry creatures and this one was absolutely adorable. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Sylvia walking by outside. "Stay," she told the dog and went to talk to her neighbor.

"Sylvia, hi," she called.

"Hi… Sarah, isn't it?"

"Yes. Do you have a few minutes for a talk?"

"Sure, what is it about?"

"You know what it is about. I'm only going to say this once: keep your hands off my husband. He's not interested, anyway." Sylvia actually looked embarrassed after receiving Sarah's warning.

"Sarah, I'd like to apologize. It was the booze talking yesterday. I'd had a bit too much to drink. I don't normally put the moves on married men."

"Why cheat on your husband at all?"

"Cliff and I have drifted apart lately. His job is consuming all his energy. I guess I got too frustrated and needed a release."

"What does Cliff have to say? Did you talk to him about it?"

"Sarah, I tried to support him, because he's my husband and I still love him. But I was so lonely, I couldn't take it any more."

"Charles is a busy man, too. But he always finds time for me… for us."

"At least his work keeps him in town. Cliff has to travel all over the country."

"What does he do?" Sarah asked.

"He owns and operates a small air taxi service and he's also an upstart, but really good, screenwriter," Sylvia replied. Sarah inwardly laughed. Cliff was a big, scary looking fellow and it came as a bit of a surprise to learn that he was actually living a quiet, peaceful life. "He got involved in the film industry by flying people and equipment around to filming locations. He once had a talk with one of the producers during a long flight and it transpired that he's got talent as a screenwriter. I was so happy at the time… I didn't know it would spell trouble for my marriage."

"Sylvia, talk to him. Sleeping around with other men is not a solution."

"Do you want to know something funny? I tried to get cozy with Yeager, the guy that used to live in your house."

"You did?"

"Uh-huh. He totally ignored me. There is a good side to it, I guess: I never got to actually cheat on Cliff."

"Excuse me, but the man has to be either an idiot or gay to ignore a woman like you."

"I don't think he was either. He was however, really uptight and looked really anxious to get news about something."

"That explains it. Back to the original topic: Do you love Cliff?"

"I do."

"Then talk to him. Problems of this nature take two to solve. You know you've failed in your marriage when you need to bring in more people, lovers… or lawyers. But, whatever you do, don't skip the stage where you attempt to work and solve your problems together."

"Thank you Sarah. It was good talking to you."

"Likewise, Sylvia."

-o-

"Where have you been, Bartowski?" Casey asked as he intercepted Chuck in the parking lot.

"I had to swing by the store to buy the stuff Sarah wanted," he replied and held up the shopping list. "Hey," he protested as his partner snatched the piece of paper from his hand. Looking around, Casey produced a UV flashlight and shone it on the list. A message written in invisible ink appeared. "Really? Invisible ink?"

"It's the safest method to communicate, just in case the Ring has put a tap on the phone."

"I thought you had swept the place for bugs."

"You can never be too careful, idiot."

"What does it say?"

"Walker has lost it," Casey said, taking a good look at the message.

"Why?"

"Read it, Moron." The note simply said 'All clear. Chuck, I Heart U.'

"Oh…"

"Wipe that look off your face. You two are making me sick, you know that?"

After a normal day at work, Chuck, or rather Charles Carmichael, returned home to his beautiful wife. She greeted him with a kiss and led him inside.

"How was your day?"

"It was normal, for a change. Things are not the same without you at the office, Sarah. The message was a nice touch though. I appreciate it. Casey didn't." They both laughed. "And how did you spend your day, Mrs. Carmichael?"

"I had a long talk with our neighbor Sylvia."

"About what? Is she OK?"

"To tell you the truth, at first I wanted to skin her alive for hitting on you, but as it turned out she's more frustrated about her husband not having any time for her."

"She was a bit drunk yesterday, too."

"Uh-huh. Anyway, she told me that Yeager, the Fulcrum guy who lived here, was anxiously waiting for news about something. She was putting the moves on him and he was totally ignoring her."

"We should start searching the house again."

"I already tore the bedroom apart. I found nothing in there."

"Should I take a second look?"

"Be my guest, although I seriously doubt that you'll find anything."

"Well, I didn't flash on anything last night, so whatever Yeager was hiding is not in the bedroom."

"Let's try the garage. Oh, that's good…."

"What?"

"Take a look." Across the street, Cliff had just parked his car when Sylvia came out, jumped on him and kissed him passionately. "Apparently the Arculins are going to try and work through their issues. Sylvia made a good start."

"You missed your calling. You should have become a marriage counselor."

"Oh, shut up!" She threw a cushion at him, which he ducked. Sarah then chased him to the garage.

"Is that Mrs. Carmichael's car?" Chuck asked about a Volkswagen Rabbit that was parked inside.

"Yes, do you like it?"

"It's nice, but I like your Porsche better."

"I used to drive a yellow Rabbit convertible back in high school. I still have her and she's in a storage unit back east."

A few hours later…

"Nothing," Sarah said. "We've been over every inch of this place and found absolutely nothing."

"There are a few more rooms to search," he said dejectedly.

"I'll go make us some dinner."

"I'll go rent a movie."

"That's a nice plan. Then we can talk about our next moves."

Sarah had to admit it, Chuck knew how to cheer her up. The movie might have not been Academy Award winning material, but it was action-packed, funny, and she couldn't help but draw comparisons between John and Jane Smith on one side and Charles and Sarah Carmichael on the other.

They were cuddling in bed later, having searched the bathroom (before and after a steamy shower together), talking about the need to streamline the search. Chuck recalled a documentary he'd seen once about the Pyramids of Giza, where previously unknown passageways and chambers had been discovered with the use of a wall-penetrating radar.

"Do you think Beckman will consider it important enough to authorize us to use one?"

"You tell me, Sarah."

"It won't hurt to ask, I guess."

"Let's put it off until we've searched the entire place."

"I don't want to talk about work any more." She held on to him and relaxed into his embrace.

He had been asleep for about an hour when the dream started. First he saw a teenage version of Sarah, braces and all but still breathtakingly beautiful, driving her car and coming to meet him. They went to the beach, where they walked holding hands on the surf. Then it fast-forwarded to the present day. Charles Carmichael was going home to his beloved wife. He parked his car as usual and unloaded the groceries from the trunk, taking a moment to check the mailbox. And then he flashed. The retrieved Intersect information indicated that the mailbox was also a secure storage container.

"Oh crap!" He bolted upright and took several deep breaths to calm down. The abrupt movement had also woken Sarah up.

"Chuck, is anything wrong?" She'd gone into agent/concerned girlfriend mode in an instant.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine, everything's fine," he said.

"Go back to sleep," she yawned.

"Sarah, I've got to tell you something."

"Can't it wait until the morning?"

"It's important," he insisted.

"Fine." She turned the nightstand light on. "What is it?"

"I think I know where Yeager stashed the intel."

"How do you know?"

"That's the part you are absolutely not going to believe."

"Try me." She was getting cranky. She didn't like having her sleep interrupted, so she just wanted him to cut to the chase.

"I just flashed… in my sleep."

"How is that possible? It has never happened before, has it?"

"No, it has not."

"The General has to be told, you understand that, right?"

"Do we have to tell her?"

"Yes."

"She'll insist on exams, which may involve needles or probing and I'm not much into either."

"Do you have a better idea?" Sarah asked in exasperation.

"We can consult with my Dad."

"Oh. I never thought of that."

"Anyway, I was dreaming of coming right here to you. I flashed on the mailbox."

"So, whatever we are looking for is in the mailbox."

"Yes. It's brilliant, come to think of it. It's in plain sight and not likely to arouse suspicion at all."

"Good point; even the most experienced forensics team would just glance inside and not give it another thought. Say, how come you never flashed on it before?"

"I saw it, but never really took a good look at it, until my dream."

"OK." She got up and put on her robe.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to check out the mailbox."

"No, I'll do it. I know where to look, plus there may be things to avoid in it. You cover me from inside the house." He started getting dressed.

-o-

"Go ahead, it's clear," Sarah said, after checking out the neighborhood with a thermal imager. "And be careful."

"I'm always careful." He felt in his pocket for the flashlight and went straight to the mailbox outside. Opening it as per the instructions he'd gotten from his flash, he shone the light inside until he found what he was looking for. He lifted a circular lid, cleverly located where the box met the supporting pole. His probing fingers found a small object inside the hidden compartment and lifted it out.

"Got it," he told Sarah after running back inside.

"What is it?"

"It's a flash drive. Let's see what it's about." Together, they switched on a laptop computer Stephen Bartowski had given them and plugged the flash drive in.

"The moment of truth," she said smiling. He clicked the first file.

_INTERSECT INITIALIZING_ appeared on the screen.

"CLOSE YOUR EYES!" Chuck yelled and grabbed Sarah, holding her close to his chest and shielding her from the flood of images. Waiting to make absolutely sure she'd be safe left him with no time to close his own eyes. He stared at the screen, absorbing Fulcrum's version of the Intersect. He went limp when it ended and would have fallen to the floor but for Sarah's strong grip on him.

"Chuck? CHUCK! TALK TO ME, CHUCK!" Sarah was frantic as she gently laid him on the floor and knelt over him. She shook his shoulders hard.

"Can you please stop shouting and get me some aspirin?" Chuck muttered with his eyes still closed. "I've got a headache, but otherwise I'm fine." She was so relieved that she just kissed him before getting up and going to get him the pills and some water.

"Come on, let's get you back to bed. And don't you get any funny ideas, you need to rest. We'll have to go to Castle and contact Beckman in the morning."

-o-

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?"

"Chuck has the Fulcrum Intersect in his brain in addition to the 2.0 and its recent update," Sarah repeated.

"The flash drive we recovered also contained a lot of other files, General," Chuck added.

"What on earth am I going to do with you, Chuck?"

"You won't have to do anything," Stephen said. "I'm analyzing the files and tested my son. He shows no adverse effects from the download. Mind you, it was just information. No skills pack was included. The images are a little different, hence the reddish hue Chuck reported when flashing on Fulcrum Intersect information. He has also shown a remarkable ability to combine the data of both Intersects and fill in the blanks of either one." They had not mentioned Chuck's dream flash. Stephen had not found it worrying and postulated that it might happen again in the future.

"If anything, he'll be an even better Human Intersect," Casey added.

"I have an idea," Chuck said, before Beckman had a chance to speak again.

"I'd like to hear it, Chuck."

"General, now that we have Fulcrum's Intersect pictures, I think we can find a way to reformat them and add them to the current version of the Intersect you have in DC."

"Go on." She was definitely interested.

"It will make your supercomputer even better, but we need to ensure image compatibility. I don't have a problem with it, since I can control either Intersect at will, but it'll be different for a machine."

"Is it feasible, Mr. Bartowski?" Beckman asked Stephen.

"It's doable," he agreed. "I can work on it."

"Please do."

"I have one more suggestion," Chuck said.

"I'm listening."

"A lot of the information in the Fulcrum Intersect is useless, since we took them down. There is no need to burden the system with it. We should remove the stale data."

"The same goes for you, Moron," Casey interjected.

"I can easily do it," Stephen said. "I can erase the irrelevant information while keeping the valuable intel intact."

"Do it. I don't care how, just do it."

"Yes ma'am." She signed off.

"That went well," Chuck remarked.

"You're lucky she didn't stick your nerdy ass in a bunker, Moron."

"She'd never do that. Not when having the option of simply removing it from my head."

"Good point," Casey agreed.

"Stephen, how soon can you get everything ready?" Sarah asked.

"I've just established a secure connection to the DC Intersect. It'll only take a few minutes to sift through the data and determine what has to go. I'll then configure a function to delete the unneeded files from my son's head."

"Can you also streamline the Fulcrum Intersect? Using it is more disorienting than the normal version. It must be something with the image encoding. I didn't want to tell Beckman, but reformatting would be good for me, too."

"No problem, Charles, just give me a few hours for the computer to do its job. Since the General has granted me remote access to the main Intersect terminal, it's going to be easy to implement all the necessary changes."

"OK. I'll be upstairs at work. Call me when everything is ready." He started heading for his office when Sarah stopped him.

"Chuck, wait. Are you sure you want two downloads in less than twenty-four hours?"

"Baby, as touching as your concern is, there will be no problem. Trust me. Now, let's get back to work. Morgan must be worried sick."

-o-

"Chuck, dude, where have you been?"

"Sorry buddy, I kind of had a lot in my head."

"Never mind. Listen, I'm negotiating a new contract. You need to take a look at the initial draft and suggest changes. I already jotted down some notes."

"Is it a good contract?"

"See for yourself." Morgan was right. It was a good contract and would bring much money to the company, enough to keep them solvent until their next planned releases. Sarah also started on the backlog of tasks she had to clear and soon things were running smoothly again. Chuck's father called just after he and Sarah had returned from lunch. Everything was ready downstairs, so they gave a heads-up to Morgan and went to Castle.

"Dad, getting everything together on such short notice is amazing."

"Nah, I actually had very little to do. The programs were there, and I only had to wait for the computers to do the heavy lifting. Follow me; I've set it up in your workstation. Sarah, John, wait over there." He indicated a spot well away from the computers they'd be using for Chuck. Sarah went to the medicine cabinet and took a bottle of aspirin and some water from the kitchenette just in case.

It was all over in minutes. Chuck started the sequence and soon the streamlining, as he and Stephen called it, was complete. He only felt a slight weakness when the images stopped, but no other adverse effects. Sarah ran to him, anxiously checking to see if he was all right.

"Chuck, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. I won't need the aspirin, but thanks. It's the thought that counts."

"That's great, Bartowski. I'll send Beckman a report," said Casey.

"I'll order us some lunch. How does pizza sound, John?" Stephen asked.

"Right now it sounds deliciously appealing."

-o-

Casey called Sarah downstairs a little while later. He told Chuck that his presence was not required, which was a relief, as he could do some actual work with Morgan. She returned to the office after confirming that Chuck was totally unaffected by the two downloads.

"Hey, everything OK?" Chuck asked.

"Yeah, just a routine debriefing."

"So, I was wondering if you wanted to swing by the old cul-de-sac tonight."

"Why?"

"Oh, ah, I don't know, I mean, you know, I figured we still got the place and Ellie still thinks we're house-sitting, so, I thought, you know, maybe we could enjoy another night in the suburbs. Order in, rent a movie, no mission to worry about, just 'Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael', maybe have some fun."

"Chuck, we can't go back there. It was just a cover."

"Yeah, I know that, I just thought…"

"Casey and I have to shut down the operation. Besides, there is already a cleaner crew over there emptying the place. We'll tell the neighbors that Mr. Carmichael got a transfer and a big promotion at work. I have to go help. Can we talk later?"

"Absolutely," he replied and turned to leave, cursing the efficiency of the CIA and the NSA.

"Uh, Chuck?"

"Yeah."

"I'm gonna need that back," she said, indicating his fake wedding ring.

"Right… Almost forgot," he said, taking it off and handing it over.

"Good thing I remembered," she said. "Can you imagine what would have happened if Ellie were ever to see it?"

"We wouldn't hear the end of it," he laughed. "Getting secretly married without telling her? She'd be mad at both of us."

"I'm not sure my training would be enough to save us from her wrath," Sarah agreed.

"See you later tonight?"

"Your place at eight?"

"It's a date."

-o-

The following day Chuck had completed a few of the more mundane tasks of running a company and now had time to think. The mission aside, he'd had a great time with Sarah in the suburbs. They had been acting like living together was the most natural thing in the world for them. Maybe it was. Just a few days ago, she'd been unconsciously referring to his apartment as home, but he had held off asking her to move in with him, because she was afraid she might not feel ready to take this step. Now he knew, and he was certain she would realize it too, that she was ready. Armed with that knowledge, he went to a locksmith shop nearby and had a new set of keys to his apartment made. He was planning on giving them to Sarah and asking her to move in at the earliest opportunity.

Said opportunity came earlier than even he expected. The same night Ellie, who was still under the impression that he and Sarah were house-sitting, had invited them for dinner.

-o-

"So, how are you and Sarah doing?" Ellie asked while they were having dessert.

"House-sitting is over, sis. The owner managed to return early, so I'll be sleeping here tonight. But we had a great time there."

"It was fun," Sarah agreed.

"Maybe now is a good time for me to make an announcement," Stephen said. "Eleanor, I got something for you. Since you'll be soon getting married, you and Devon will need your own place. To cut a long story short, I bought the apartment next door for you. It was a bargain and I figured…"

"Dad, you didn't have to."

"I wanted to. I want you to be happy."

"Thank you." Ellie hugged her father.

"I too have something to say," Chuck said and rose from his seat.

"What is it, Chuck?"

"Sarah, the days I spent with you in the suburbs were memorable and certainly one of the best times in my life. I was planning to ask you anyway, but the latest, um, developments just made it a lot easier." He moved next to her, but did not kneel. He didn't want to give her the wrong idea or scare her. "Sarah Walker, would you like to move in with me?" He produced the box containing her new keys and opened it.

"Chuck," she said, on the verge of tears, "I already spend a lot of time here, and indeed consider this place to be my home. The first real home I ever had, since I used to move around a lot with my Dad. Yes, I'll move in with you." They kissed tenderly and held each other. Ellie, Devon, Morgan, Alex, Stephen and Casey looked on approvingly. The last mentioned was really glad he would no longer have to keep monitoring the place all the time, considering the things he was frequently forced to hear on the surveillance. In fact, he believed that listening to some of the dialogues between Chuck and Morgan could be described as cruel and unusual punishment.

-o-

"Thanks to your efforts we have been able to apprehend a number of Fulcrum fugitives, and also disrupt some of the Ring's plans," Graham said. He was finally back, after his doctors had deemed him as having recovered sufficiently to resume his duties.

"The intel you recovered enabled us to further delay the reestablishment of a West Coast network for the Ring," Beckman added.

"Thank you," Chuck said. "And in the spirit of full disclosure, I feel I must tell you…" He and Sarah rose from their seats and held hands.

"Stop!" Beckman said, looking horrified. "I don't want to know. Release Agent Walker now!"

"General," Sarah said, undaunted, "Chuck and I are dating… exclusively."

"I must caution you," the General said sternly, "that allowing your personal life to interfere with your professional one can be dangerous. But off the record, it was about damn time." Graham couldn't agree more, especially about the last part. His smile indicated that, as a guy, he appreciated Chuck's achievement. Sarah Walker was a great catch. He was happy for her, too. After all, he was her mentor and she was his favorite student.

When the briefing ended, it was time to go home. Sarah had already moved her stuff from the hotel room to the apartment and they had been helping Ellie and Awesome move to their new place. Everyone had helped and the process was almost complete. They only had to carry a few things next door and then they were going to have a barbecue dinner. Ellie had also promised to throw a housewarming/welcome to Echo Park (the latter for Sarah) party when everything would be ready.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** There are many ways to say 'Happy holidays'. One of them is posting a new chapter. Happy holidays, fellow FF members!

* * *

**Chapter 19 – The Hard Way**

Sarah was thirsty. But she also didn't want to stop cuddling with her sleeping Chuck. In the end the thirst won out and she carefully got up, so as not to wake him and padded to the kitchen.

Apparently their new roommate Morgan – who had moved in a few days after Ellie and Awesome moved out – was also thirsty. And his presence was more than welcome, as far as Sarah was concerned, given his excellent culinary skills. As he shuffled sleepily in the kitchen, he saw that the refrigerator door was open.

"Hey Chuck," he mumbled.

"Morgan, hi." It was Sarah, not Chuck. Morgan was not surprised to see her, but her outfit, a camisole and panties, did not leave much to the imagination. He still respectfully averted his eyes.

"Hi Sarah."

"Would you like some orange juice?" She held up the jug.

_Don't say anything. You are this close to confusing the jug and her jugs. You already have a loving girlfriend and Sarah is a scary spy who is also your best friend's girlfriend_, his conscience screamed at him.

"Morgan?"

"Uh, sorry, I'm not fully awake. Thanks, but I think I'll just have some water."

"OK. Goodnight."

"G'night." He looked at her retreating form, in an appreciative I'm-glad-my-best-friend-has-Sarah way. After downing a glass of water, he returned to his room and his still sleeping girlfriend.

-o-

"Hey buddy," Chuck said cheerfully, while doing the knot on his tie.

"Good morning. How was your night?"

"It was great, actually."

"How couldn't it be? You are dating a leggy Valkyrie who has an aversion to clothing. Which is awesome."

"Thanks. Where is Alex?"

"She had an early morning class, so she already left. I made breakfast for all of us. Coffee?"

"That'd be great, thanks."

"So, what's on your schedule for today? Are you going to have a normal day at the office, or…?"

"We don't know yet, so it's safe to say that at least we'll start the day normally," Sarah said, coming into the kitchen. Morgan handed her a plate of freshly made pancakes. She nodded appreciatively, licked her lips and sat down to eat, pouring a generous amount of syrup on her pancakes.

-o-

"Finished," Chuck called. He had been running a program he had designed himself to speed up the results transmission process. It was based on free voice typing software and a modified voicemail-to-text smartphone application, the latter for use off-base, but with an added direct encryption, compression and emailing functions. After each file was reviewed, the results were automatically encoded and sent to Graham and Beckman for further consideration and dissemination, both in text and voice form, the latter digitally disguised, as per orders, but still clearly intelligible. "All we've got to do is wait and see if we'll get a new mission. I'll be upstairs."

"Hold on, I'm coming with you," Sarah said. "Is there anything else you want, Casey?"

"Huh? No, nothing."

"Are you OK? You look kind of… distracted."

"It's probably because Alex stayed in our place last night," Chuck said.

"Casey, I know how you must feel, but Morgan really cares about her, and in the end you should let her know that she has a father who wants the best for her."

"Yeah, it's gonna be a lot better if you tell her the truth, you'll see."

"I'm trying to think of a way to break the news to her and her mother."

"Good morning," Bryce Larkin said cheerfully as his image appeared on the main screen.

"Bryce? How are you doing, pal?" Chuck had been the first to recover from the surprise.

"I'm better than fine." Bryce was leaning over General Beckman's desk, he and Graham flanking the NSA Director.

"Do you have a mission for us?"

"We do, Chuck," Graham said. "First of all, I'd like to inform you that our deception campaign has been enormously successful."

"What Director Graham means is that the Ring believes me to be the Human Intersect. I think they are looking for me somewhere in Alaska," Bryce butted in.

"What are you supposed to be doing in Alaska?" Sarah asked.

"They think I'm looking for a Fulcrum ghost site, which doesn't exist. Jill made it up."

"Give her our best," she said.

"I will."

"Enough with the chit-chat," Beckman said. "Agent Bartowski, the intel you and Agent Walker recovered in the suburbs has enabled us to mount an effective operation to take the offensive to the Ring. We have sown a great volume of disinformation which has caused much discord and mistrust between their agents and we are using it to our advantage."

"This is great news, General, but is there a mission in the pipeline for us?" Casey asked.

"I'll get to it, Colonel. I'll begin by repeating that, while Fulcrum was operating domestically, the Ring is a worldwide organization. Therefore, our initial assessment of their capabilities was not entirely accurate. They are still having a hard time filling the gap the dismantling of Fulcrum left, but they also have a mostly intact apparatus in the US that deals with foreign operations."

"Can they redirect their focus to domestic operations, even partially?"

"We believe so, Colonel."

"I don't think they'll be as effective, at least initially," Chuck observed. "The loss of experience and familiarity with the operational environment that Fulcrum had will be keenly felt. Plus the reallocation of personnel and resources required may affect all their US-based operations." Sarah looked proudly at him. Casey was nodding in agreement, his expression indicating that he was impressed with the Nerd Spy.

"Not to mention the internal upheaval the undergoing offensive you mentioned is causing," Sarah added.

"Correct. Anyway, your mission will be to disrupt an information exchange and recover any intel possible. We have already identified the courier thanks to Evelyn Shaw. Your job will be to identify the recipient as well as intercept the package."

"Sounds straightforward enough, General," Casey said. "Too bad we don't know the recipient to either take his place or the courier's, provided they don't know each other by sight."

"I am confident that you will work something out. We'll send you the full information package in a few minutes. That is all for now." The General pressed a button on her computer and the screen went blank.

-o-

"Clear left… clear right," Chuck said, looking at the miniature screen of a flexible video borescope. Behind him Sarah had just finished getting dressed again. They had decided to have a mid-morning delight and snuck into the supply closet when Casey wasn't looking. "Let's go. We'd never hear the end of it if Casey caught us here."

"Relax, I'll say that I was training you in infiltration techniques."

"That you were," he smiled.

"Shut up and open the door."

"Follow me." They made it upstairs to his office with no trouble at all.

"Where had you been?" Morgan asked, but immediately it came to him. "You were downstairs."

"Yes, we were, buddy."

"If you have the time, I'd like us all to go over some plans I have drawn up…"

"You already did? That was fast."

"Chuck, it's me we are talking about. I'd never let the opportunity of participating in E3 pass. It's the ultimate expo in the video game industry, dude, and a nerd's wet dream! We can't miss it, especially since we are among the front runners for a Game Critics Award."

"Um, what's the E3?" Sarah asked.

"It's the Electronic Entertainment Expo, held in Los Angeles annually. This year we are going to have our own booth. Hopefully, we'll have released another new game by then."

"You can finish that simulator game you were working on."

"Yeah, good idea, Morgan." He turned to Sarah to explain. "I had been working on a flight simulator game, but it needed some extra research, so I put it on hold and worked on 38th Parallel instead."

"What is it called?"

"I am still considering names for it; Air Commando, Jungle Jim, Pilot of Fortune, stuff like that."

"Is it about the air war in Southeast Asia?"

"Sarah knows her history."

"She does," Chuck said admiringly. "Only I will be covering small wars in Central and South America and Africa as well."

"How realistic is it going to be?"

"If you choose to play the professional level, it will be very realistic."

"I want to be the first to try it."

"Hold on a second there, Sarah. I'm the one who gets to do the testing of Chuck's games."

"You can still play the normal levels. I'm only interested in the professional level."

"You'll have to be a pilot to even consider starting it… Are you a pilot, Sarah?"

"I have flight training and experience, yes."

"You really are a super spy. Can you fly an Aero L-39 Albatros?"

"That is oddly specific…"

"Sarah, he means the jet James Bond flew in the beginning of Tomorrow Never Dies."

"Nerds," she muttered, but her smile was unmistakable. "Yes, I can."

"Awesome," Chuck said with a huge smile.

"Enough talking. Get back to work," Morgan commanded.

"Morgan, I'm the boss here."

"Yes you are."

"Now that we have clarified the issue, back to work," Chuck decreed. Sarah couldn't help but laugh.

-o-

"Are you guys going out?" Ellie asked as she saw Chuck and Sarah in the courtyard. Sarah was in a beautiful blue dress and Chuck was wearing a nice suit.

"Yeah, we are going out to check out a club," Chuck replied.

"Have a good time. But, Sarah, we need to start picking up the pace of the wedding preparations."

"No problem, Ellie," Sarah said smoothly.

-o-

A few hours previously…

"The meeting will be taking place at a club called El Bucho. We got the layout here," Casey said.

"I know the place. The music is good and the drinks are great and reasonably priced."

"We are going to be working in there, Moron."

"I know, I was just saying…"

"It's okay, Chuck. You know the place, we can use it to our advantage."

"See?"

"Shut up, Moron. You and Walker take a table here. You'll be able to see everything and you'll also be far enough from the band to be able to communicate with me without too much background noise. I'll be a bartender here." Casey pointed at two places indicated in the schematics. "Any questions?"

"No," Chuck and Sarah said in unison.

"Good. The courier will be none of our concern. Others will have to deal with him. We need an ID on the recipient, though. This is where you come in, Bartowski."

"What if he's not in the Intersect?"

"Then we just recover the intel by any means necessary."

-o-

While driving to the club…

"Sarah, I feel I must warn you. Ellie has an inherent wedding craziness that is bound to drive us all nuts."

"Come on, she can't be that bad."

"You said the same thing before you met her for the first time, remember?"

"I'll admit she's quite, um…"

"Pushy?"

"Kind of, yes. But still, every woman can be like that when planning her wedding. So far I'd say she's been perfectly normal."

"I'll have you know that this is for two reasons: One, the wedding is still a few months away and two, the Very Awesomes haven't dropped by – yet."

"Who?"

"Drs. Woody and Honey Woodcomb, they are Devon's parents. I met them a few times in the past and, frankly, Ellie finds them kind of scary. Every time they drop by she goes into full freaked out Martha Stewart mode to have everything perfect."

Sarah fell silent. At least Stephen J. Bartowski was a very reasonable man, who liked her immensely. He would be great as her father in law. _Wait, what the hell am I thinking and why?_ Aloud she said: "There's the club. Are you ready, Mr. Carmichael?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, Mrs. Carmichael," he replied. He parked the car and went to her side to open the door. She took his offered arm and together they proceeded to the club entrance. They were admitted inside without a fuss and quickly found a table in the area Casey had indicated. They also made visual contact with their partner, who was fixing drinks like he had been doing it all his life. Chuck ordered a vodka martini (shaken, not stirred) for himself and a Southern Comfort for Sarah from a passing waiter.

"Since when do you drink vodka martinis, Chuck?" Sarah asked, intrigued.

"I don't, but Carmichael loves them. They are his preferred mission drinks," he said, giving her the Eyebrow Dance. She just laughed.

"Can you two keep it in your pants and focus on the mission?" Casey asked angrily over the radio.

"We _are _doing our job, in case you haven't noticed," Sarah replied, a bit annoyed.

They were still savoring their drinks and keeping an eye at the entrance when her phone rang. The caller was unknown, but she answered it anyway.

"Hello… Oh, hi Eve," she said. The two women shared a strange bond, hence the first name basis. "I can't really talk now… news, what news? … Who is he? … OK, got it, thanks. Goodnight."

"Was that Eve Shaw?"

"Yes, Chuck. She knows who the courier is to meet. Does the name Javier Cruz ring a bell?"

_Las Vegas by night_

_Report on the activities of one Javier Cruz, without photo_

_List of kills_

_Mention of possible Ring connections_

_Las Vegas by night_

"It does ring a few bells, yes. Javier Cruz is an assassin, suspected of having ties to the Ring. He could be getting info on his next mark."

"Or he's going to kill the courier. Casey, did you get that?"

"Yes. Can you recognize him, Bartowski?"

"No, the file did not include a photo. The point is moot, anyway. He'll be the person we'll see meeting the courier, right?"

"Chuck's right. We just need to keep our eyes open."

More time passed, during which the three spies kept their eyes open for the appearance of the courier. They had been in the club for about two hours when Casey saw the man they were looking for. They were lucky, as he went straight to the bar, took a seat and ordered a glass of tequila. Not long afterwards, he was approached by a tall bald man, obviously of Mexican descent.

"Heads up," Casey said, turning to take a bottle from a shelf. "The meeting is on."

From their vantage point, Chuck and Sarah clearly saw the courier give something to Cruz, who stuffed it in a pocket. Sarah suggested waiting until Cruz left. Then they could follow him and apprehend him and the intel.

"I have a better idea," said Chuck. "How good are you at picking pockets, Sarah?"

"I'm really good," she replied smiling, realizing what he meant.

"Excellent. Shall we dance?"

"I thought you'd never ask, Mr. Carmichael," she said seductively.

"Remember, the package is in his left jacket pocket," he whispered in her ear. Fortune favored them that night, for Cruz chose to take a shortcut through the dance floor. The dancing couples did not arouse the slightest suspicion. As he passed by Chuck and Sarah, she snatched the item from the Ring assassin's pocket in a lightning fast move.

"I got it," she told Chuck.

"Casey, it's a wrap. We are getting out of here, after we finish our dance," he said into his watch communicator.

*grunt* (Yeah, whatever)

The Maricachi band finished the piece and the couples stopped dancing and applauded. Chuck took Sarah by the hand and led her towards the exit. They were walking towards the car when suddenly it started raining really hard. Sarah yelped and Chuck instinctively tried to shield her from the rain with his suit jacket – not very successfully. They ran to the car and got inside. By that time they were both soaking wet. There was laughter in the car as he drove back to Echo Park. Once there, they had to run again from the parking spot to the apartment, laughing on the way.

"Wow," Sarah said when she got inside.

"Yeah," he replied. "You are a mess."

"So are you."

"Come on."

She followed him to the bathroom, where they removed their soaked clothes, wrung the water out of them and placed them in the laundry hamper, wrapping their bathrobes tight around their bodies. Chuck took a towel and started drying his girlfriend's hair.

"It's OK, I got it."

"Let me do it," he smiled.

"Not that I'm not enjoying the attention, but you are going to make my hair all tangled."

"I wouldn't want that." He gave her the towel and vigorously dried his own hair. On the way to the bathroom, she had tossed her handbag on their bed, but she still heard her phone ringing and ran to answer it.

"It was Casey," she said when Chuck appeared at the door.

"What did he say?"

"I have to deliver the intel to the local CIA field office tomorrow."

"Which means that we are free tonight."

"Movie and popcorn?" Sarah asked with a hopeful tone in her voice.

"I think it's a good idea, for starters." He smiled meaningfully. "I'll go make the popcorn."

"I'll see about the movie." She had every intention of watching the movie on their bedroom TV, cuddled together with Chuck. Rummaging through her boyfriend's extensive DVD collection, she finally chose The Long Kiss Goodnight. Making herself comfortable on the bed, she placed the remote within easy reach and, out of habit, checked the nightstand drawers for certain supplies she was certain they would need later.

-o-

"About time you got here," the dark haired man told Cruz, when the Mexican entered an office in downtown LA.

"It's raining cats and dogs out there, hombre. Traffic is a bitch."

"Do you have it?"

"Of course I have it, Shaw."

"Well, hand it over," Daniel Shaw said impatiently. Cruz reached into his pocket.

¿Qué? He was puzzled as to why his pocket was empty. "Carajo!"

"What's wrong?"

"It was here!"

"You lost it?"

"I had it and now it's gone!"

"Then get it back. I don't care what you have to do, but get it back. We need it. Do you get it, _amigo_?"

"Uh…"

"Tell me one thing, Cruz. Are you a Mexi_can_, or a Mexi_can't_?"

Cruz glared at Shaw. He wanted to put a bullet between the arrogant gringo's eyes really bad. To calm down he focused on the job at hand. "I am a Mexi_can_, Shaw. You'll get it within 48 hours."

"I'll be waiting. Don't screw this up."

"Cabrón," Cruz muttered as he left. He knew where he had to start looking: at the club. He waited until it closed, broke in and headed straight for the manager's office. Watching the footage from a security camera, he soon found what he was looking for. He had brushed by a couple on the dance floor as he was leaving. They were a tall curly haired man and a beautiful blonde. Cruz rewound the video and replayed it in slow motion. He couldn't be absolutely sure, but it looked like the blonde had lifted the package from his pocket. It could only mean one thing. The couple was CIA. The parking lot camera wasn't much help as he couldn't see their car's license plates. But as he reasoned, they would have to hand over the package to their superiors, possibly at the local CIA filed office. He could stake the place out in the morning to confirm.

-o-

The movie over, Chuck and Sarah were snuggled together in bed when her cell phone beeped, announcing an incoming text message. 'Castle, now," it read. She showed it to Chuck and they quickly got dressed and ran to the Porsche.

Javier Cruz was driving his Cadillac on the way to his hotel from the club when he suddenly saw the blonde and the guy who had stolen the package from him exiting a Porsche convertible in a parking lot. He pulled over and approached the couple from behind. His first thought was to kill them both and search the bodies, but it might be better to take them alive, just in case they didn't have what he was looking for on them. Fortunately, he did have a tranq gun. Seconds later, both had fallen on the ground, each with a couple of tranq darts sticking out of them. Cruz loaded them in the trunk of his car and sped off. He would avoid his hotel and would take them to his base instead.

Meanwhile, Casey was waiting for his partners in their secret underground base. Traffic was light at this hour, so they should have arrived already, especially if they had taken Walker's car.

"Shit," he muttered, checking the outside surveillance recordings on a hunch. "This is Colonel Casey, we have a situation," he said over the phone to an NSA operator. "I'll need a chopper standing by, pronto." He then looked at a large case and smiled. "It looks like I'll finally get the chance to use the old girl." Turning his attention back to the computers, he activated the Moron's watch tracking device.

-o-

Chuck slowly regained consciousness. He had a massive headache and blinked several times to clear his vision before scanning his surroundings. He was in an unfurnished room and he was not alone. His girlfriend was lying prone on the floor next to him.

"Sarah!" He turned her over and saw that she was still out. She also had a small cut right on the hairline above her left temple. "Sarah, wake up." He shook her lightly.

"Where are we," she asked, opening her eyes and squinting at him.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling we'll soon find out. Hold still." He took a handkerchief from his pocket and tried to clean her cut as gently as he could. "How did you hurt your head?"

"I don't know, but I guess we were tranqed. Ouch! Be careful!"

"Sorry. You know, for a spy you can be such a baby sometimes," he teased, trying to make light of the situation.

'This room may be bugged, so don't talk much," she advised.

"It is bugged all right, and not with the electronic variety," he said, flicking an insect off the back of his hand. "What a shithole."

"We need to see where we are," she said, moving to a small window. It was too high for her to see out, so she turned to Chuck again. "Lift me up."

"Okay." He made a step with his hands and she climbed on him, resting her knees on his shoulders while he was holding her thighs to keep her steady.

"We're in Mexico," she announced and got off of him.

"Mexico? Crap."

"Given that it hasn't been too long since they grabbed us, it's most likely some place in Baja. We need to get out of here." The first thing she did next was to examine the lock on the door. "Damn! There is no way I can pick the lock."

"Sarah, take it easy." He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I still have my watch on. Casey will find us."

Suddenly there was the sound of a key in the lock and the door swung open for the Mexican assassin to enter. He was pretty confident to visit his captives all alone. After all, he had subdued them without difficulty.

"Señor Cruz," Chuck said. "I wish I could thank you for your hospitality, but you could have found better accommodations for us."

"You know me, gringo?"

"Doesn't everybody?" Chuck shrugged. "Where are my manners? I should introduce myself. My name is Carmichael, Charles Carmichael."

"You seem pretty casual about a matter that has caused quite a few deaths. I usually go to lengths to protect my identity."

"By now the entire CIA knows your name, what you look like and a lot of other stuff about you."

"Like what?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out. I strongly suggest that you give up and let us go now."

"I have my ways for finding out, rest assured, Señor Carmichael." Cruz had not become one of the most successful contract killers without being observant. And right now he saw that Chuck had moved protectively in front of Sarah. "I was thinking about introducing the Señorita to cocaine. Once she starts feeling the effects of withdrawal, she'll tell me everything I want to know. Then maybe I'll let her work for her fix. I bet she would provide good entertainment for my associates."

"I wouldn't expect anything different from a scumbag like you." Chuck paused when his ears picked up a distant sound. He was by far the tallest person in the room and the one closest to the window, so he heard it first. He smiled. "But you won't have the chance, ever."

"You sound pretty confident, gringo. You don't even know where exactly you are," Cruz said. Chuck flashed on both Spanish and martial arts.

"No teníamos nada de ti, no hubo intel, no foto, hasta ahora, cabrón. Pero ahora... Alpha… Mike… Foxtrot! In other words… Adiós Mother FUCKER!" Chuck's words were punctuated by the beat of helicopter rotors, the swish of rockets being fired, gunfire and explosions. Cruz instinctively jerked his head towards the window, only to receive a left cross from Chuck, which sent him crashing into a corner. The spy couple immediately swung into action. Chuck grabbed the fallen man's keys and what looked like a circular smartphone. "But you had to do it the hard way," he said. Sarah relieved him of his gun, an FN Five-seveN, spare ammo and a knife. In the next room she found their cell phones, her own gun and her knives.

"Go to the roof," she commanded. Once there, she traded fire with some of Cruz's men, most of whom were from the Los Zetas organization, while Chuck was looking for a way out. "I'm running out of ammo," she said.

"This way! We can use this as a zip line! Hang on to me, Sarah!" He took his belt off and followed the Intersect provided instructions on how to use a zip line. They landed near a cantina and ran towards an open space where the chopper crews could easily see them and pick them up. Chuck glanced at the sky for the first time and saw a black painted Eurocopter Panther leading some Mexican Navy Bo-105 and Mi-17 helicopters into the attack. There was a familiar figure enthusiastically firing the door mounted Dillon Aero M134 Minigun at the hostiles below. "It's Casey!" Sarah covered him as he started jumping up and down and waving frantically to get Casey's attention. It worked, as the chopper approached them and hovered just a few feet above the ground.

"Come on!" Casey hollered over the din of the firefight. Chuck and Sarah needed no further encouragement. They jumped into the chopper and the pilot increased power and started a climb. "Woo-hooo!" Casey was obviously enjoying it. One of his victims was Javier Cruz, who was cut almost in half by a burst from the minigun as he rushed to the street, firing at the Panther.

"How did you find us, Casey?" Sarah asked.

"When I realized that you were running late, I checked the exterior surveillance and saw Cruz nab you. From there it was an easy matter to get a real time satellite trace on his car and commandeer a chopper. I also got to use the old girl," he said and patted the minigun affectionately. An excited voice speaking in rapid Spanish came over the radio and Casey answered, also speaking in Spanish. "That was an old acquaintance of mine, Colonel Garcia of the Mexican Marines. He was only too glad to help and he even gave me a bottle of premium Blue Agave tequila for the post-mission celebration." He gave some instructions to their pilot and turned to find his partners kissing passionately. He just grunted in mock disgust.

-o-

"Javier Cruz was a vital operative of the Ring's Mexico syndicate. His death and the destruction of his cell will affect their operations considerably. Also, thanks to you, we have captured a custom made Ring smartphone for the first time," Beckman said at the debriefing.

"And, of course, we still have the intel you originally recovered," Graham added. "The Mexicans are also pleased that a Zetas branch was eliminated as well. You did a great job, team."

"Thank you sir. Most of the credit should go to Casey," Chuck said. "Without him we'd still be in Mexico."

"You should give him a medal, General," Sarah said. She was now sporting a band-aid over the cut on her head.

"I may do just that, Agent Walker."

"May I ask why you wanted to see us last night, General?" Chuck asked.

"It was just for a routine debriefing, as we wanted to be done with it. That will be all for now. Have a nice day."

"Well, I'll get started on the dailies," said Chuck.

"I'll take a shower, change and go upstairs to start working. Morgan should be in and I need to run a couple of things by him."

"OK. I'll see you upstairs. I need a shower, too."

-o-

"What happened to you?" Morgan asked when he saw Sarah.

"It's nothing, cuts and bruises are an occupational hazard, but thanks for the concern, Morgan. Before you ask, Chuck is downstairs and he'll be coming up shortly."

"Rough mission? Spare me the details though."

"It was, kind of. But now let's get to work."

"OK. I have some things I want to talk to you about. Coffee?"

"I'd love some, thanks."

The phone rang and Morgan answered it. "It's for you," he said and offered the handset to Sarah.

"Hello?"

"Sarah! Where did you and my brother disappear to? You weren't home when Devon and I got back."

"Oh, hi Ellie. We were too tired to drive all the way home last night, so we crashed in the office."

"Where is Chuck?"

"He's in the little boys' room."

"Tell him that he should have called."

"We didn't want to disturb you and Devon, as it was rather late."

"Okay, fine… but you'll come to dinner tonight."

"We will. See you later, Ellie!"

-o-

Their day at work was slow, which suited them just fine. Chuck had come up with a believable explanation for Sarah's injury. They would just say that she slipped on a wet floor and fell. Around lunchtime, the adrenaline of their escape from Mexico having worn off, they were not really in the mood for going out, so Morgan volunteered to get them lunch from the diner and encouraged them to enjoy a siesta. The best place for it was the large guest room and former detention cell in Castle. They fell asleep as soon as they relaxed in each other's arms.

-o-

Daniel Shaw was furious. Not only Cruz had lost valuable intel, but his base had been raided by the Mexican military and he had most certainly ended up dead. He couldn't contact the original courier, either. The man seemed to have disappeared from the face of the Earth. Fortunately, none of the blame for the latest debacle could be laid at him. If anything, he could use it to further advance in the Ring's ranks.

-o-

Sarah knew how overprotective Ellie Bartowski was of the people she loved but she still thought that the brunette doctor's insistence on reexamining her cut, cleaning it and re-bandaging it was rather overkill. She still sat meekly and allowed Ellie to do it, however. At least she complimented Chuck on his first aid skills. On the plus side, the meal was delicious. After dessert and over coffee, she and Sarah started going over wedding stuff. It dragged on for a few hours, so when Ellie finally released her, she went back to her place. She heard music playing from their room, so she went in through the Morgan Door.

"That's a nice song, Chuck."

"You like it?"

"Uh-huh."

"It's the 'Cancion del Mariachi' by Los Lobos." He stopped the disc and restarted the song, pretending to sing along.

_Soy un hombre muy honrado,  
Que me gusta lo mejor  
A mujeres no me faltan,  
Ni al dinero, ni el amor_

_En mi caballo  
Por la sierra yo me voy  
Las estrellas y la luna  
Ellas me dicen donde voy_

_Ay, ay, ay, ay  
Ay, ay mi amor  
Ay mi morena,  
De mi corazon_

_Me gusta tocar guitarra  
Me gusta cantar el sol  
Mariachi me acompaña  
Cuando canto my cancion_

_Me gustan tomar mis copas  
Aguardiente es lo mejor  
Tambien la tequilla blanco  
Con su sal le da sabor_

"Can you actually sing it in Spanish?" Sarah asked.

"Just a sec," he replied and flashed. Picking up his guitar, he started playing and singing.

"Ay, ay, ay, ay  
Ay, ay mi amor  
Ay mi morena,  
De mi corazoooooooooon  
Ay, ay, ayyyyyyyyyyyyy!" Chuck finished the song.

"Bravo," Sarah applauded. "Such a performance must be rewarded."

"What do you have in mind?"

Sarah didn't immediately reply. Instead, she closed and locked the Morgan door and the door to their room before tackling Chuck down to the bed. "This," she said simply and started kissing him while trying to remove both her and his clothing. "Te quiero, Chuck Bartowski."

"Te quiero, Sarah Walker."


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:** It took me a while to finish this, but I was busy. Anyway, you can consider it a little something to welcome the New Year with. The next chapter will be posted in 2011.

* * *

**Chapter 20 – Last Time We Saw Paris**

The weeks following the Baja affair had been rather quiet on the spy front. Casey was grumbling a bit about the lack of excitement, but Chuck and Sarah couldn't care less. If anything, they had more time for themselves. And they were making the most of it, too. Naturally, Chuck had to keep training and do some intel reviews, but even that was considered sort of supplementary to the use of the Intersect computer since it went back online after some scheduled maintenance was completed.

One afternoon Chuck was downstairs in the Castle training area, in boxing gloves and protective gear, sparring with Casey. Sarah had finished her workout and was sitting cross-legged on a mat, watching her boyfriend and occasionally cheering for him. Morgan was also watching his best friend train, while Awesome had joined them as well. Ellie was at the hospital and he had the day off, so he'd asked for and received permission to visit the others at work.

"You still have a lot to learn, grasshopper," Casey teased.

"Hey, Casey, buddy, it's all me so far. I'm trying not to use it. I want to see what I can do just by myself." He ducked a cross from his friend and countered with a few jabs to the gut.

"In that case, Moron, you are holding your own pretty well."

"Thank you."

"Now, flash it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. At least you don't have to worry about hurting me when we train together."

"I seem to recall you admitting that it helped me kick your ass once, old timer."

"I was testing you. Now, flash."

"Okie-dokie."

Casey had won a boxing tournament in Annapolis over twenty years ago, and he was still a capable boxer. Even with the Intersect, Chuck found that they were just about equal.

"Not bad, Bartowski," Casey said when the last round ended. The assembled spectators applauded as he and Chuck bumped gloved fists. Sarah immediately helped Chuck remove his gloves and protective gear and handed him a towel and a bottle of water.

"That was quite awesome," Devon remarked. "I never thought I'd see such a thing from you."

"Thank you Captain. Care to try it with me sometime?"

"I'll pass, but I wouldn't say no to using some of the workout equipment you guys have down here. It's top of the line." The three spies went to the treadmills and started jogging.

"I have some good news for you," Morgan said, moving in front of the machine Chuck was using.

"Let's hear it, little buddy."

"I did some research for the flight simulator game and the results have already been fed to the terrain generator."

"What's that?" Sarah asked.

"It's something Chuck made to help create accurate three dimensional maps for the games. Basically, it combines data from Google Earth, aerial photos from other sources and topographic maps to achieve the desired results. We can create a map of almost any location for any given era, if we know how it looked at the time. You are dating a genius, Sarah."

"I already know that." She turned and smiled seductively at Chuck.

"Is that all, Morgan?"

"No, I did some more digging in the web for aircraft armament configurations, especially for the wars in Algeria, Spanish Sahara and the Portuguese Colonies. You won't believe what I found!"

"Will it make the game all the more realistic and historically accurate?"

"You bet."

"Then you did great."

"So, are we going to have it ready in time to be released before the E3?"

"Yes, Sarah, we will."

"Then I should start getting busy planning a release event," she said seductively.

"I have a better idea. Since it's almost five, why don't you go home and make us some dinner? I'll hit the shower and then Morgan and I will stay and do some more work."

"I'll take a shower and be on my way," she said and hit the stop button on the treadmill. She was somewhat disappointed that there were so many people in Castle and she would have to forgo the post training/workout shower romp with Chuck as they couldn't sneak to her (the ladies' actually, but she was the only lady there) locker room. She was planning on making it up to him after dinner. "Be home at about seven."

-o-

"I think we should also include a small history section in the game manual," said Morgan as he watched an animation of a scene from the game with Chuck.

"Excellent idea," Chuck agreed. "I already thought a title for it."

"Do tell me, please."

"How does 'Mad Props – Counterinsurgency Air Warfare' sound?"

"I like it."

"It will be easy to write, considering all the research we have already done."

Meanwhile, Sarah and Devon had driven back to Echo Park. The latter mentioned went to put away his purchases after accepting her invitation to dinner. It would save him the trouble of whipping something up himself or ordering takeout. Sarah was quite a sight as she worked in the kitchen, an apron over her jeans and shirt, her faithful Smith & Wesson still tucked away at the small of her back. She only realized it was still there when she leaned back against the kitchen counter, so she decided to hide it in its customary place in the bedroom, when someone knocked on the door. Her hand went to the grip as she moved to see who it was through the peephole. She immediately relaxed and removed her hand from the gun as she opened the door to greet Stephen Bartowski.

"Stephen, hi," she said brightly. "Come on in."

"Thank you Sarah. Is Chuck home?"

"He's still at work with Morgan. I hope you'll stay for dinner. I'm already cooking, so it will be no trouble at all."

"I appreciate the invitation and I think I'll accept. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I can't think of anything right now." She went back to chopping carrots, peppers, tomatoes, onions and herbs. When she finished, she threw the knife at a cutting board hanging on a wall.

"Impressive," Stephen said.

"Thanks," she laughed. "I never thought cooking would be such fun."

"Chuck is lucky to have you in all aspects of his life."

"You really believe that?"

"Trust me Sarah, I do."

"I'm incredibly lucky to have him, too."

"Sarah, there is something I want to talk to my son about, but I'd welcome your opinion on the matter."

"I'm honored by your trust. So, what is it?" She checked the array of pots on the stove and, satisfied with the progress, she went to join Stephen in the living room, taking a couple of sodas first, one for her and one for him.

"Ah, thanks for the soda. Well, I know my kids have forgiven me for leaving them ten years ago. Ellie still doesn't know anything about why I had to leave them and Chuck is still in the dark on many details. You can say that I still feel guilty about it and I want to make it up to them every way I can."

"What do you have in mind for Chuck? I know you did a lot for Ellie, you paid off her student loans and bought her an apartment."

"I was thinking about investing in Chuck's company, perhaps expand into patent holding, of which I have plenty and even help him with software development."

"He idolizes you, Stephen. If not as a parent, until recently that is, as an engineer. Yes, I think he'd jump at the offer. Bonding over work will help you connect even better."

"You don't know how happy I am to hear this, Sarah. Thank you," he said and pulled her into a fatherly hug, which she happily accepted. "Sarah? Do I smell something burning?"

"What? Oh crap!"

"Relax, I'm kidding."

"You'd better be," she said and ran to the kitchen to check on the food. Fortunately, she hadn't burned anything. "The others will be here shortly. Take a seat while I set the table."

"Allow me to help." Together they set the table and sat down to wait for the others. Devon was the first to knock on the door, bringing a bottle of wine. Stephen greeted him warmly and engaged him in light hearted talk. Chuck, Morgan, Alex and Casey arrived together.

-o-

"I swear, Sarah, you have been Ellie-fied," said Devon as he finished his dessert.

"Excuse me?"

"He means that Ellie has had a positive influence on you," Chuck explained. "The results speak for themselves," he added, indicating the dinner table.

"Who would expect that I would eventually be domesticated," she laughed. "I certainly didn't."

"You are still a wild and fearsome tigress, Sarah."

"Grrr," she growled playfully and kissed him.

*grunt* (Cut it out will you? We just ate.)

Later, Sarah put away the leftovers, first making a doggie bag with a generous helping for Ellie and gave it to Awesome to take it to their place.

"You know Awesome wasn't kidding," Chuck told her when they were left alone, as Stephen, Devon and Casey had gone home while Morgan drove Alex to her place. "You have become a great, dare I say it, housewife."

"I am the lady of the house, right? Besides, I liked playing the part of the suburban housewife on that mission."

"Your efforts shall be rewarded. I'll clean up here. You are free to read, watch TV, or just relax."

"I'm usually relaxing a lot better when you are with me."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"No, I meant…"

"I know what you meant, sweetheart." He sat her down on the couch and gently massaged her shoulders for a couple of minutes before turning back to loading the dishwasher. She turned and watched as he wrapped it up in the kitchen. His smile as he wiped his hands with a small towel was a dead giveaway of his intentions. He didn't disappoint her as he sat down and they cuddled together while Sarah was channel surfing until they found a good movie playing and decided to watch it.

-o-

In the morning, Chuck, Sarah and Morgan were working together on the cover of the new game. Once again Sarah's artistic talent surfaced and she suggested that they do a 3-D effect picture for the cover, like the jigsaw puzzle she had seen in the toys section of the Buy More. Naturally, Chuck and Morgan enthusiastically agreed with the idea.

"Bartowski, Walker, downstairs, now," Casey called over the intercom. "Move it!"

"What's going on?" Chuck asked as they hurried to get to Castle.

"I have no idea," she replied tersely, having instantly gone into spy mode. They found Casey talking to Graham and Beckman over the videoconference link.

"Chuck, Sarah, sit down, we have a situation," Graham said when he saw the couple enter.

"What is it, sir?" Chuck asked.

"I'm sorry to break the bad news to you, but as of an hour ago you are again the only Intersect."

"What… what happened?" He looked at his superiors and his friends. Sarah took his hand supportively in hers.

"Our technicians say it was a defective part. Basically, the core short-circuited and was destroyed due to a power surge caused by failure of the aforementioned part. We are still trying to determine if there was any data corruption or loss."

"Can you fix it?"

"We don't know yet."

"In that case, have you contacted my father? He might be able to help."

"I'll leave that to you, Chuck. I need not stress the importance of this."

"No sir."

"Good. In the meantime, you'll have to do the intel reviews as before."

"I understand."

"We'll keep you posted of any new developments," Beckman said and signed off.

"Damn!" Chuck swore.

"It's a cluster fuck, all right," Casey agreed.

"Don't worry, Chuck, I'm sure it's only temporary," Sarah said.

"Temporary or not, the first files have arrived for the Moron to take a look at."

"I'll get on it."

"Remember to take your time while doing the reviews."

"I'm in no mood for an Intersect headache right now, Sarah." They kissed lightly and for once Casey didn't grumble or tease them.

Chuck had sent Sarah upstairs to continue working with Morgan, after assuring her that he'd be fine, while he went over the files. During one of the short breaks he was taking, he called his father and asked him to meet them at the office.

-o-

"You sounded pretty worried on the phone, Charles. What's going on?"

"Dad, the Intersect in DC is out."

"Yeah, I know, they had it down for maintenance."

"It's not so simple. They got it back online, but there was a malfunction and the core was fried. Until a new core can be made and installed, plus the damaged parts replaced, I'm the only Intersect."

"Oh boy. I'll need to call your bosses."

"Feel free to use the communications equipment, Stephen," Sarah said.

"I'll go downstairs. I'll have a lot to discuss with the General and Director Graham. If I have to build a new core… it will take some time."

"Do what you have to do, Dad."

At lunchtime, the entire team gathered for a briefing. Stephen greeted his son and his partners with a smile. They considered it a good omen, especially Chuck, who was hopeful that the Intersect computer could be rebuilt sooner rather than later.

"Good afternoon, team," Beckman said. "Director Graham and I had a long talk with Mr. Bartowski and we believe that we can have the Intersect up and running within a month."

"I ran simulations based on the information the BITE diagnostics of the system had and concluded that the hard drives were unaffected by the malfunction of the core," Stephen explained.

"So the data is intact. That's good news."

"It means Stephen here will just have to make a new core."

"And I'll also add a few upgrades to speed up the information gathering and evaluation processes. It still won't be as good as a human brain, but it'll be as close to it as we can make it."

"Now, to the subject of your new mission," Graham said. "We have tightened security procedures and managed to shut down several conduits of information to the Ring. The only way of getting certain kinds of information they have left is by delivery from a mole."

"You want us to plug a leak, sir?" Casey asked.

"I'll get to it. As you all know, one of the moles the Ring has in the CIA is Daniel Shaw. He is totally unaware of the fact that we have been on to him ever since his supposedly deceased wife blew the whistle on that bastard and we have been making sure that any information he gets his hands on is pretty much useless, no matter how important it appears to be."

"The problem is that we have indications Shaw might have obtained some very sensitive information recently and he intends to turn it over to the Ring personally. We believe he wants to advance in their ranks and he'll be meeting someone very highly placed in the organization," the General said.

"So, you want us to intercept the package before the exchange, right?"

"Yes, Chuck, that's exactly what we want. You are also to apprehend or terminate Daniel Shaw and his contact."

"Where is the exchange going to take place, General?" Sarah asked.

"The matter is still being looked into."

"General, I think I know where he's going," Chuck said.

"I'm all ears, Chuck."

"I just read his file. To keep up the act of the grieving widower, he goes to Paris every year, to visit the spot where Sarah, um, took her Red Test."

"Why didn't your analysts see that?" Casey asked.

"Shaw applied for and got leave time weeks ago. He's not due back for another three weeks."

"Has he been kept under surveillance?" Sarah asked.

"Of course he has. Bryce Larkin is handling it."

"Well then, we can safely assume that any exchange here in the US won't go unnoticed since Bryce is keeping an eye on him," Chuck said. Sarah nodded her agreement.

"Then you may have to go to Paris, Chuck," Graham said.

"Please tell me you are not kidding, sir. I've always wanted to visit Paris!"

"You'll go there on business, Bartowski," Casey admonished.

"I could still take some time off when the mission is over. I can do that since I'm now an agent, right?"

Beckman actually chuckled. "I see no problem with that."

"Neither do I," Graham added. "Complete the mission and you'll get your leave time, provided that you keep doing the daily reviews for as long as it takes to get the Intersect computer back on line."

"No problem, sir," Chuck replied.

"We'll arrange for you and Agent Walker to fly to Paris on the same day Shaw does. Do not let him out of your sight. Colonel Casey will have to leave earlier to do some preparations."

-o-

"Chuck, this is amazing!" Ellie squealed. "You are going on vacation, with Sarah, to Paris, no less!"

"Yes. You see, sis, I figured, since we are doing well on the job and I haven't taken a vacation in years…"

"No need to tell me anything more, little brother! I'm so happy for you."

"All we have to do is finalize the date. It won't be long though."

"Where are you going to take her?"

"Oh, you know, the places I always wanted to visit: the Air and Space Museum at Le Bourget, Euro Disneyland…"

"CHUCK!"

"I'm kidding, Ellie. I was thinking about the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre… Paris by night on a Bateau Mouche… a stroll down the Champs-Élysées…"

"You have it all planned, don't you?"

"It's me we are talking about, sis."

"What was Ellie yelling at you about just now?" Devon asked as he returned from Casey's, where he had gone to borrow some tools to fix his stationary bike.

"I was pulling her leg about my vacation schedule with Sarah."

"You are going on vacation, bro?"

"Yeah, we were thinking about Paris."

"You are going to have an awesome time there. I know, I've been there myself. Remind me to give you some pointers on public transportation there. How's your French, by the way?"

"I haven't read or spoken French since high school, but I think it'll all come back to me. But I know for a fact that Sarah is quite fluent in it."

When Ellie went to prepare dinner in the kitchen, Devon took Chuck aside for a talk. He needed to get clarification on one issue.

"Chuckster, are you planning a real vacation, or are you going on a mission?"

"It's both. We have a mission, but we'll get leave time when it's over."

"Be careful out there, bro."

"Devon, I'm always careful. Besides, I'm a trained agent. There is nothing I can't handle, not to mention that I'll have Sarah and Casey with me," Chuck said reassuringly. "We'll do the mission and then I'll enjoy a few days off with Sarah."

-o-

"Chuck, we have to prepare for the trip to Paris, which means that, among other things, we have to obtain the necessary documents," Sarah said.

"You mean passports and stuff? Well, you can handle it if you want," he replied, pulling her on his lap and enveloping her in his arms.

"Two passports for Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael coming right up. I mean, as soon as you decide to let me go."

"Why, don't you like it where you are?" *teasing kiss*

"I like it, but I can't get any work done from here." *another kiss*

"You know, Ellie was enthusiastic about us taking a vacation together."

"She'll be enthusiastic until she realizes that we, or more specifically I, won't be available to do wedding planning stuff for the duration of our absence."

"I don't think it slipped her mind. It's just… she knows how happy we'll be over there."

"I know quite a few places to take you to. The first time I went to Paris was for the you-know-what, and I spent a few days there before Graham gave me the assignment."

"I would expect nothing less, Mrs. Carmichael…" Suddenly, he furrowed his brow in thought.

"What is it?"

"I was thinking… Maybe we should find another cover name. Fulcrum knew me as Carmichael and the Ring is sure to have heard of me."

"If Shaw or his Ring associates check… Nah, it's probably overkill. He has no reason to suspect we are on to him."

"You are probably right, Sarah. Besides, Carmichael is a rather common name."

"It won't hurt to have another alias though."

"In that case, say hello to Mr. and Mrs. Charles. You get to choose their background."

"Well then, Mr. Charles," Sarah said in a Texas drawl, "I'd better get to work."

"I love you Mrs. Charles," he said in a good approximation of a Texas accent.

-o-

Ever since Ellie and Devon had moved to their new apartment, Chuck and Sarah had considerably less stuff to hide inside their own place, considering that Morgan was in the know. Thus, Chuck had already packed should they have to go to Paris. While doing so, he noticed that Sarah had yet to unpack. The only things she had in her side of the closet and in her dresser drawers was what he had gotten for her. He correctly attributed it to force of habit, since she'd never spent a long time in one place and never really had a home. He resolved to make her realize the change later, after the mission. He also decided to take a page from his girlfriend and always have a suitcase or travel bag packed and ready for missions.

Chuck had done a comprehensive study of Shaw's file, so he knew exactly when they would have to fly to Paris. The CIA had booked them first class tickets and he intended to make the most of the trip, wanting to turn the mission into a prelude to their vacation. When that day finally arrived, Morgan drove them to the airport in Chuck's car. Before they went to the boarding gate, he asked them to get something nice for Alex. He would pay them back when they returned.

"Buddy, relax," Chuck assured him. "We won't forget it and we know you are good for it."

"OK. You guys be careful out there, you hear me? And take good care of each other." He bumped fists with his best friend and hugged Sarah. "Have a nice flight."

-o-

"First class really rocks," Chuck remarked enthusiastically. "But then again you must be used to it."

"I am, but being pampered on a long flight is always nice," she agreed. "I'd take first class over all other flight arrangements any time, considering how uncomfortable many of my trips were."

"What, you had to fly coach?"

"Occasionally, but the worst was having been obliged to fly in an aircraft cargo hold. Not in a cargo aircraft, and mind you I have flown together with livestock once or twice, but…"

"You mean in the baggage and cargo hold of a commercial airliner?"

"Yes, but even that was comfortable compared to the cargo pannier of a Cessna Caravan."

"That doesn't sound even remotely agreeable." He then realized exactly what Sarah meant, having played flight simulator games featuring the Caravan. "Oh! I take it back. It must have been hell."

"On that day I decided to enjoy every time the Company saw fit to book me in first or business class."

"Are you enjoying it now?"

"Why are you asking stupid questions, Chuck?" She snuggled closer and he made sure to have the privacy screen up. "We'll join the Mile-High Club later," she whispered sexily in his ear.

*meep*

Sarah was as good as her word. Some time into the flight, when most of the passengers had dozed off or were not paying any attention to their fellow travelers, she took him to the lavatory and there they had some of the most mind-blowing sex they had ever experienced. They returned to their seats a few minutes before the in-flight meal was served. It was delicious and in any case they needed it to recharge. They could afford the distraction, since their mark had been sitting by himself and had no contact with other passengers. Naturally, Graham and Beckman had obtained the passenger list and crew roster and had Chuck go over them, just to be on the safe side. In fact, Chuck had flashed on a passenger, but it turned out to be a case for the Treasury Department rather than the CIA and the NSA, as the person concerned was involved in counterfeiting currency.

The remainder of the very long flight to Charles De Gaulle airport passed quietly. Chuck, always uncomfortable with heights and despite having Sarah to distract him, did down a few martinis, fortunately without ill effects. He made a mental note to ask if the Intersect had an anti-hangover function included when he woke up about an hour before landing. Casey was already in Paris, having arrived the night before. He had taken a military flight and he was waiting for them in the arrivals area. As soon as the spy couple reclaimed their luggage, they met up with him and moved to the car Casey had secured for them, but not before tailing Shaw to the car rental offices. They kept following him discreetly until he arrived at his hotel.

"Casey, what if he meets his contact here?" Chuck asked.

"That's why I came here before you, Moron. The place is bugged to the rafters."

"You took quite a risk there."

"He won't find the bugs, don't worry. They are really special, top-level NSA only issue. You CIA pukes have never even dreamed about them."

"OK, where to now?"

"The General booked you a room at a nearby hotel. This way you'll be close enough to that bastard to tail him as required. There is already a rental car for you in the hotel's basement garage."

"I'm impressed."

"This is an important mission, Bartowski. Extra care has been taken planning the logistics, so don't screw this up."

-o-

"Oh, wow! This room is fantastic!"

"You like it?"

"Like it? I love it! Look at this! We have a great view of the Eiffel Tower! Did you know that the elevator is the most amazing engineering feat in it?"

"No, I did not, until just now." She sprawled on the huge and very comfortable bed, kicking off her high heels and giving him a bemused look. "But I'm dying to see it up close – with you, after the mission is over."

"You've been to Paris but you've never visited the Eiffel Tower?"

"Chuck, every time I was here, it was for work. I didn't have time for sightseeing."

"Well, the sooner we are done with the job, the sooner we can start our vacation," he said and unpacked a laptop computer. "We now have a direct link to Daniel 'Scumbag' Shaw's room. He can't sneeze without us knowing all about it."

"What time is it?"

"It's eight in the evening here, but it's still morning in Burbank."

"Shaw just ordered room service."

"I think we should do the same, Sarah."

"I'll take care of it."

While Chuck was monitoring Shaw, she picked up a menu and browsed through it. She remembered Chuck's favorite dishes from the time he had taken her to a French restaurant in Los Angeles and ordered accordingly. The food didn't take long to arrive and it was excellent, as befitting a five star hotel. They had just finished their dinner and were taking turns watching the surveillance.

"Sarah!" Chuck called.

"What?"

"He has a Ring phone!"

"Of course he has a Ring phone, Chuck. He _is_ a member of the Ring."

"No, I mean he's calling someone!"

"Can you tap into the call?"

"Sure I can. Dad and I took Cruz's phone apart and found a way to hack into its network."

"Do it."

"Already done." He switched on the laptop's speakers and turned up the volume.

"_I arrived in Paris a few hours ago, sir," Shaw said._

"_I hope you found the accommodation arrangements to your liking."_

"_They are excellent. I have Class A Plus information to give you, Director."_

"What director is he talking about?"

"It must be the Ring Director, Chuck. Now, be quiet."

_"Care to let me in on the nature of the information you have, Daniel?"_

_"I managed to acquire the plans for the Intersect Computer, including the new advanced core."_

_"Excellent work. How did you manage to do it?"_

"I'd really like to know myself."

"Chuck! Shhh…"

"_It was rather easy. I was in the technical section to get some equipment and they had the plans out and preparing to send a work crew to do scheduled maintenance. I managed to photograph the plans with no one the wiser."_

"They really must tighten their Q section security."

"Yes, they must," Sarah agreed.

"_You deserve a promotion, Daniel. We must meet, of course, and soon."_

"_My schedule is open, sir."_

"_Meet me tomorrow evening, at the café Le Pont Magnifique at nine."_

"_I can find it. I'll be there."_

"_Good. The necessary directions will also be sent to your phone . And, Daniel?"_

"_Sir?"_

"_Enjoy your stay in Paris."_

"_I will, thank you sir."_

"We need to call Graham and Beckman."

"They won't like what we have to say."

Naturally, their bosses went ballistic when they learned that Shaw had purloined the plans for the new and advanced Intersect hardware and was going to turn them over to the Ring Director. Team Chuck was summarily ordered to stop the exchange from happening, recover the plans, capture the Ring Director and bring back Shaw, dead or alive (preferably dead, both Graham and Beckman thought).

"We know where and when the meeting is going to take place, Casey is already there reconnoitering the area and we have all the necessary equipment. The night is still young. Is there anything you want to do, Sarah?"

"I wouldn't say no to a few things," she replied.

"Such as?"

"A shower, a massage and sex with Chuck Bartowski."

"It is your lucky day, Miss Walker, since Chuck Bartowski can also provide his services for your shower and massage, at no extra cost."

"I think I'll take you up on your offer," she said, suggestively swaying her hips while walking towards the bathroom.

-o-

It had been an amazing first night in Paris. The slight overall soreness each one of them felt in the morning, a small hickey on her neck where it met her shoulder and the marks her fingernails had left on his back were evidence enough. Throughout the day they resisted the temptation to go sightseeing, instead acting professional and continuing monitoring the traitor.

"Sarah, it's almost seven thirty. We should be going." Chuck was dressed like a tourist, in comfortable jeans, sweater and jacket. He checked his tranq gun and holstered it. Casey had insisted on giving him a real gun as well, so he checked it too and tucked it away in a shoulder rig. Sarah was packing not one, but two S&W 5906s. Like him, she was dressed for the part of the carefree tourist, wearing a blouse and tight pants under a red coat.

"Wow, Casey was thorough in his preparations," Chuck observed when he saw the rental Peugeot waiting for them.

"This is an important mission, Chuck," Sarah said simply and he nodded. The drive to the café was as pleasant as it could be, given the traffic, but he still managed to find a convenient parking spot. They decided to take a table outside. A waiter took their order and they made some casual small talk while waiting for the main part of the mission to begin.

Shaw arrived a few minutes before nine, having taken the time to look around the area and took a table outside. The surrounding streets were mostly deserted, which was convenient, since anyone approaching would be readily detectable. He paid minimal attention to the couple a few tables away. He had not been tailed and he was positive that he was not under any kind of surveillance, so he just sat, ordered and waited for the Ring Director to arrive. His new boss arrived right on time with one of his goons.

"Hello Daniel, nice to finally meet you in person."

"The pleasure is all mine, sir."

"Your little coup could not come at a better time. We are under serious pressure by intelligence agencies all over the world."

"Yes, I heard that the FSB took out one of our cells in Russia last week. And things are not much better in the States after the loss of Fulcrum. Hopefully, the Intersect will give us a much needed advantage." Shaw opened his briefcase and handed the Director a bulging folder. "Everything you need to set up an Intersect computer is in there. Not only the technical details, but the proper way to encode the information, too."

"I'm impressed. In fact, I'm so impressed, that you are looking at a promotion. Would you like a position on domestic or overseas operations?"

"Where do you think my services are required more, sir?" Shaw asked diplomatically.

"Let me think about it and I'll get back to you."

"OK."

"I'm sorry I can't sit and chat, but these have to get to a secure facility as soon as possible."

"I understand, sir." Shaw rose and shook hands with the Ring Director. He then sat back down to enjoy his drink and did not take much notice of the couple a few tables away getting up. He did notice, however, the sound of a gun's safety being clicked off behind his head.

"The game's up, Shaw," Sarah said.

"Get up," Chuck added. "You are under arrest for treason." The staccato sound of gunfire reached their ears, along with shouted commands.

"I see you two are not alone."

"No, and your new director is being taken care of as we speak. Get up," commanded Chuck.

"Okay." Shaw started getting up, but then kicked his chair backwards, hitting one of Chuck's knees with it. Sarah had jumped sideways to avoid the chair. He seized the opportunity and, not having the time to draw his gun started running away.

"Chuck?" Sarah asked.

"I'm fine," he assured her, rubbing his knee. "Don't let him get away."

"I'll get him." She ran off after Shaw, Chuck following behind. Not knowing the area, Shaw found himself running towards the bridge spanning the Seine. He would have preferred to disappear in the narrow streets, but he took a wrong turn in his haste to put some distance between him and his pursuers. Pausing to take stock of the situation, he hid behind the concrete base of a lamp post. The two spies who had tried to apprehend him earlier were running in his direction. He could probably kill both of them while staying in cover, but he wanted to know how they got wind of his plans. They were no more than fifteen feet from him when he partially emerged from his hiding place and aimed his pistol at them.

"Drop your guns," he commanded. Chuck and Sarah braked to a halt, still holding their weapons. "I said drop them," Shaw repeated, thumbing down the hammer of his gun. Neither Chuck nor Sarah could hope to bring their guns up quickly enough to fire first.

"You'll kill us anyway," Sarah said.

"I have a few questions to ask you and I'd hate to have to kill you before I get my answers, so drop them." Sarah nodded and dropped her gun, which clattered on the ground. "Now you," Shaw told Chuck.

"Fine," Chuck huffed. He bent down to place his gun on the asphalt, holding it by the barrel with his left hand. In doing so, his raised right hand disappeared from view behind Sarah, but he didn't notice, or so it seemed. In fact, he knew what he was doing and he had also flashed. Sarah had her second gun stuck in the waistband of her pants. "Yippee-Ki-Yay, motherfucker," he muttered, snatched the gun and dropped to a prone position, firing two shots before Shaw could react. Three gunshots rang out, shattering the stillness of the night, the bullets hitting Shaw in a shoulder, arm and center mass. Chuck and Sarah whirled around and saw the brunette who had fired the third shot.

"You are dead," Shaw said dumbly, recognizing the woman despite the shock of being shot.

"As you can see I'm very much alive, no thanks to you," she said venomously and shot him again, this time between the eyes, sending him tumbling over the parapet into the icy black water of the river. "Consider that a divorce," she quipped. Together, the three spies looked at Shaw's body as it drifted away with the current.

"Happy trails, Shaw," Chuck said.

"Eve," Sarah said.

"Sarah."

"Thank you."

"No, thank _you_. I finally got some payback for everything he put me through. Now, I'm officially Evelyn Nichols again. No more Mrs. Shaw for me."

"What are you going to do now?" Chuck asked.

"I'll go back to hunting the Ring. Right now, we need to go to our embassy for a debriefing with Director Graham and General Beckman."

The debriefing was short and sweet. The entire team, plus Eve, received congratulations on the successful outcome of the mission. A dangerous leak had been plugged permanently, plus the Ring Director was in custody and would surely crack under interrogation, revealing a lot of interesting information about the Ring, how it was organized, how it operated and what its aims were. Eve bade Team Chuck goodbye and went to be briefed on a new mission.

"Bartowski, Walker, you did well out there," Casey said as they were walking back to their cars.

"Thanks partner," Sarah said.

"Enjoy your vacation."

"Oh, we will," Chuck said, pulling his girlfriend close.

"Just keep it in your pants until I'm a good distance away." With that he got in his car and drove off towards a nice bar he knew from a previous visit to Paris.

"What now, Chuck?"

"Now, my dear Sarah, we are officially on vacation."

"Do you know how I'd like to begin our vacation?"

"That woman will be the death of me," Chuck lamented, but his smile belied his words. "Do your worst, Agent Walker."

"Take us back to our room and you'll see exactly what I'm capable of, Agent Bartowski."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:** I'll begin by wishing a happy 2011 to all. As for me, I turned 33 today and decided that a new chapter is a good way to celebrate with you.

Also starring Rebecca De Mornay as Katie.

* * *

**Chapter 21 – On Vacation**

There must be something about Paris that combined with the need to burn off the excess adrenaline from the mission as well as the elation over its successful outcome made them both insatiable, Chuck thought as he stroked his sleeping girlfriend's golden hair. For the first time since they'd become a couple he'd needed the assistance of the Intersect, specifically all the sex hints he could find in the Infiltration and Inducement section. Given how passionate they always were in their lovemaking, this meant a lot. In fact, he was surprised he could even move his little finger. Luckily, in keeping with the rest of the hotel, the soundproofing of their room was also five star, which was good given how vocal Sarah had been last night about what they had been doing, how she wanted it done and praising his performance.

"Chuck?" Her hoarse voice interrupted his train of thought. He turned to look at her and noticed her bright smile, despite the exhaustion still evident in her eyes.

"Yes, Sarah?"

"A Euro for your thoughts," she said.

"I thought it used to be a penny."

"Inflation," she shrugged. "Plus, we are in Europe now."

"Oh well, I was thinking that if we are to keep going at it like this, we'll need to rebuild our strength." He kissed her tenderly and gingerly got up, pulling his boxer shorts on. "I'm going to take a shower and order us some breakfast."

"Shower sounds good," she said, pushing herself up with her back against the headboard. Although he was still sore beyond belief, he scooped her up and carried her to the bathroom. There was no hanky-panky in the shower, for they had nothing left, their bodies were totally spent. While waiting for their breakfast to arrive, they just cuddled together, still in their bathrobes. Chuck generously tipped the room service lady and wheeled in the cart with its precious cargo of coffee, orange juice and food. Sarah took a bite of pastry and her face took an expression of bliss.

"I can't think of a better way to start the day; breakfast in bed with the man I love."

"It gets better." He picked up a pad of hotel stationery and a pen. "How about we work on our sightseeing schedule for today?"

She smiled. "I'd like nothing more than to spend the day in here with you, but I know how much you want to see Paris. Hell, I want to see it again, as a tourist this time."

"You made the right choice, Ms. Walker."

"I know, Mr. Bartowski." They didn't refer to each other as 'Agent', since they were officially on vacation. There was one little fly in the ointment, however. His laptop computer, the one his father had given him, lay open on his nightstand. It beeped as they were kissing, announcing an incoming video call. They separated abruptly and looked at the offending gadget.

"Chuck, Sarah, good morning," General Beckman said. "I see you have already started your vacation." It was evident that the normally stern woman was trying hard to keep a straight face.

"Um, yes ma'am," Chuck replied. "Is there anything we can do for you?"

"As a matter of fact there is. I have a batch of files for you to review."

"I can do that, General."

"General, we can still do the intel reviews just like we used to do back in the States," Sarah said. "Just send them at the usual times."

"Is that OK with you, Agent Bartowski?"

"Yes ma'am."

"It's settled, then. Colonel Casey will be returning to the States today. Enjoy your vacation."

"Thank you, General," they chorused.

-o-

Chuck and Sarah had just gotten off the elevator on the third level of the Eiffel Tower. She was especially glad to have taken his advice and dressed warmly against the biting wind.

"It's beautiful up here, Chuck. And the view is breathtaking." She leaned into him and smiled. Using the Intersect language skills, he asked a tourist to take a picture of him and Sarah. She was eager to see the result and he showed her the preview as soon as he got his camera back. He really liked seeing her act like a normal girl in love.

"We'll come up here again, at night," he told her.

"I'd like that," she replied. "Where to now?"

Let's see…" He pulled the schedule he'd made from a pocket, with exaggerated theatrical movements and made a show of consulting it. "We have several options. I'll leave the choice to you."

They ended up taking a long walk. They saw the Arc De Triomphe, walked down the Champs-Élysées, bought a load of souvenirs and took hundreds of high resolution pictures. They had lunch at a bistro and continued exploring the City of Light. When they finally got back to their room, they were tired but very happy. Chuck got through the dailies very quickly, submitted the results and then Sarah joined him as he initiated a video call after checking the time.

"Hi guys," they said in unison as Ellie, Morgan and Devon appeared on the screen.

"Chuck, Sarah, hi," Ellie said. "How's Paris? I want you to tell me everything."

"It's fantastic. I've emailed you some photos we took today. Morgan, turn your laptop on, so that you can see the pictures while we are talking."

"It looks like you are having an awesome time over there, bro," Devon remarked.

"You took Sarah to the Eiffel Tower, as you told me you would, little brother! The photos are amazing!"

"You know how Chuck is, Ellie," Sarah said. "He made us a full sightseeing schedule."

"Are you keeping to it?" Ellie asked slyly.

"We are trying, sis, and so far we are succeeding."

"It's great to hear that," Morgan said. "You don't need to worry about work, I have everything covered."

"That's great, buddy, but don't hesitate to call me if anything comes up."

"Dude, who do you think you are talking to? Besides, there is another Bartowski around and I can turn to him if I need any help."

"What are you talking about? Oh, you mean my Dad?"

"Yup."

"I meant to tell you, son," Stephen said, coming into the webcam's field of view, "I'd really like to work with you. I didn't get the chance to ask you about it before you left."

"Just don't mess with the games I have in the works. But you can play with any other program as you see fit."

"You got it. Aces, Charles, you're Aces. I have more good news: the Intersect computer will be back online sooner than we first thought." This last part was whispered after Ellie and Devon stepped back to allow the others to talk shop. "Have a great time, guys."

"We love you all," Chuck and Sarah said and signed off.

Sarah turned to Chuck and kissed him. "Cuddle with me?"

"Sure, we need a little rest anyway, because, Sarah Walker, later today you'll be getting your first taste of Paris by night."

"I can't wait."

-o-

"Numb nuts, did you hear from the Moron and Walker?" Casey asked without so much as a how-do-you-do as he burst into Morgan's office.

"Oh, hi John. Yes, they did call. They are both fine, don't worry."

"They should have contacted me, too. Sometimes I feel like Team Chuck's little fat kid, you know, the one who always gets picked last."

"Did you check your email?" Morgan asked, unfazed.

"Of course I checked it, imbecile."

"Not the business email. They are on vacation, so it stands to reason that they would use your personal one. I know Chuck like the back of my hand and he tends to compartmentalize. This is what I'm certain he would do."

*grunt* (Damn, I didn't think of that) "I'll take a look. Thanks, Grimes."

"Any time, Colonel. And if I can be so bold as to offer you some unsolicited advice, I suggest that you take advantage of the situation and enjoy any free time you get now that Chuck and Sarah are in Europe."

"I still have some work to do here."

"Ah, but it's still not anything like what you got when your partners are here, right?"

"Right," Casey replied cautiously.

"Then I don't see anything wrong with you taking it easy until they get back and I'm sure your superiors will agree with me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go pick Alex up from work. I'm making dinner for her tonight and I also promised to help with a project she has for a class in college." The two men marched out of the Orion offices and Morgan was too busy locking up to notice that Casey was trying hard to appear calm and keep from throttling him.

-o-

Morgan never regretted having taken courses in the culinary arts. He might not be a Benihana chef as he'd once wanted, but he could cook really well. And Alex was very appreciative, too.

"Morgan, everything was delicious," she said. "You are certainly a lot better in the kitchen than I am."

"I used to be worse than Chuck, until I took lessons. You'll improve with practice, don't worry."

"Uh-huh. Anyway, you were a great help with my class project. I think I'll advertise your products if the professor asks me how I managed to do it."

"Make sure the entire class hears you mention our company," he said half-jokingly. "Hey, I got an idea! We can market a software package for college students at special offer prices!"

"It can work. There are many students who really need a comprehensive but affordable selection of computer programs. I know, I am one of them."

"Let me run it by Chuck and Sarah. You will still get a sample package from me. Be warned, I'd like a full evaluation."

"You'll get it."

-o-

"What now?" Sarah grumbled as her cell phone beeped. She didn't like being roused from sleep by appliances, namely alarm clocks, cell phones, telephones and the like.

"You have an incoming text message." Chuck had also woken up. The night in Paris had been fantastic. He had taken her to the Hard Rock Café, among other places and the perfect finishing touch was another thoroughly pleasurable lovemaking session when they got back to their room.

"I know that," she said and lightly punched him in the shoulder. "It's from Morgan. I wonder what he wants."

"I hope it's not an emergency at work."

"It's not an emergency."

"That's good."

"But it's still about work."

"Oh boy. Text him back and remind him that we are on vacation."

"Hmmmm…"

"What?"

"He had a great idea and felt obliged to run it by me first, since I am the one in charge of PR and marketing. All it needs now is your approval, because his latest scheme certainly has mine."

"I'd like to know what it is about," Chuck said. Sarah just passed him her phone so that he could read Morgan's message. "It's not a bad idea," he concluded. "Tell him he has the go-ahead from us. As for the details, I'm sure he can work them out with Dad."

"Done," she said, after texting Morgan with their answer. "Now, let's get back to our vacation."

"What do you have in mind?"

"That is supposed to be your department."

"I didn't make us a schedule for the day. In fact, I was wondering… Can we do it together?"

"Chuck, you are not bossing me around, so you don't have to do this. I'm perfectly content to leave the matter to you."

"True, but we should be doing some things together, as a couple."

"Thank you." She kissed him and he pulled her closer. "Thank you for trying to help me act normal, and… You know I'm committed to our relationship, right?"

"Yes… Yes, I definitely know that." He nibbled on her earlobe and then trailed kisses down her jaw line and her neck. She closed her eyes and made a contented noise.

"Mmmm, OK. Let's hit the shower, go downstairs for breakfast, and then you can do the dailies. I hope you trust me to let me roam the city alone for a little while."

"You are going shopping," he deduced.

"We are in Paris," she shrugged. "It would be a cardinal sin for a girl not to go shopping. Unless… you want to join me."

"I think I'll pass." Shopping was boring for him, although every time Sarah had dragged him out with her back home he got to admire her in various great outfits as she asked his opinion about them.

"Don't you want to give your opinion as usual on whatever catches my eye out there?"

"Baby, you'd make a burlap sack put a creation by a top fashion house to shame."

"This is one of the nicest things I have ever heard. You are so sweet, Chuck."

"Sweet?" Gee, thanks for make me feel like I'm eight," he joked.

"You are most definitely not eight," she said and her hand reached under the sheets to below his waist. "Shower (implied: and sex), now," she commanded, giving a certain part of his anatomy a hard squeeze.

"Yes ma'am."

"Now you are making me feel like…"

"Strawberry Shortcake?"

"Who?"

"It's a derogatory nickname Graham occasionally uses for Beckman. By curious coincidence, I sometimes call her that, behind her back."

"And how did you know what Graham calls her?"

"The Intersect," he replied, tapping the side of his head. "I once flashed on an internal memo, in Graham's handwriting."

"I know for a fact that he didn't like her much, at least until we became the most successful joint intelligence team. It was just another case of interagency rivalry."

"Still, it fits. The nickname, I mean."

"Yes it does. We've wasted enough time." She grabbed him and led him to the bathroom.

-o-

"Bonjour Madame et Monsieur Carmichael," the Maitre D' said when they entered the hotel's dining room for breakfast later.

"Bonjour," Chuck replied cheerfully. He was still unable to totally wipe a grin off his face after the morning shower ritual with Sarah. She'd insisted on doing some things for the first time that day, which, he could swear, might even be illegal in some places.

"Y' know, Sarah, we are eating well here, yet I have never heard you complain about having to work out harder."

"I don't need to. Sightseeing around the city and our _other_ activities require a lot of energy."

"I'll have to agree."

"Good," she said, digging into her pastries. "We are still OK with the schedule, right? You review the files from work while I borrow the car to go shopping and then I'll come to pick you up and go see more of Paris."

"We'll work on a schedule when you get back."

"Fine by me."

-o-

Sarah exited the Galleries Lafayette loaded with bags containing her latest purchases. She smiled as she pictured Chuck's reaction when he'd see the sexy and rather slutty (well, it doesn't cover a thing - literally) lingerie she'd bought. Not that she'd keep it on for any length of time once he got over the surprise and chuckled at the thought. Throwing the bags in the trunk of the car, she again consulted her list of stores to visit. She had sought and received her sister's advice on this matter. Carina definitely knew the best places to go shopping in Paris.

Her shopping finally done, her wallet had gotten a lot lighter. Fortunately, she had two jobs, one of which paid better than she'd originally expected. She returned to the hotel. Chuck was still in their room, wrapping up the intel review.

"How was your shopping trip?"

"Ah, fruitful… yes, I'd say it was fruitful."

"Now you are just being cryptic."

"I have a perfectly good reason for it."

"I have no doubt that you do."

"Get ready, we are going out."

"Huh?"

"I took the initiative of arranging some sightseeing for us."

"What exactly did you arrange?"

"Let's just say that I charmed the leader of a group of American tourists into allowing Mr. and Mrs. Charles to tag along during their visit to the Louvre."

"You didn't!"

"I most certainly did, Mr. Charles," she drawled.

"I love you, Mrs. Charles."

"I love you too. Come on, we don't want to be late."

"Lead the way."

-o-

The visit to the Louvre was definitely worth it. The museum was amazing. Sarah had to admit, being anywhere as a tourist beat being there for work hands down. Chuck then took her for a tour of the city center on one of the tourist buses, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Another pleasant surprise was a very filling lunch on a Bateau Mouche. They thoroughly enjoyed every second of their vacation. Needless to say, they needed some rest when they finally got back to their room after dark. But first he had to work on the day's second installment of files to review for Graham and Beckman.

Sarah's ego got a massive boost when Chuck's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when she appeared before him in the lingerie she'd purchased in the morning. As for Chuck, he was pretty sure his tongue was mopping the floor.

"I must have done many good things in my previous lives to deserve you," he managed to say.

"You've always had a way to make a girl feel special with your compliments. And I don't think I was too bad in _my_ previous lives either. You are the living proof, Chuck."

"You _are_ special, Sarah. How many times do I have to tell you before you realize it?"

She said nothing. Instead, she seductively crawled on the bed and straddled him.

"I… have… another… surprise… for… you," she said while kissing him. "But… I'll… tell… you… later…"

Their sweat slicked bodies were molded to each other as they lay spent afterwards. She was holding on to him, her eyes closed, just enjoying the proximity. The fingers of his right hand were tracing random patterns on her bare back. He almost didn't want to break the silence, but curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to know what surprise she had for him.

"Sarah?"

"Hmmm…?"

"What is the surprise you mentioned earlier?"

"I almost forgot." Her free hand reached to her handbag on the nightstand. "Remember when you told me that you wanted to go backpacking across Europe?"

"Yes…"

"I got us these." She showed him two first class tickets to Zurich on a retro style train. "I booked us a compartment. We'll be traveling in style, but the concept is the same, right?"

"Sarah, I love you." The kiss that followed made her dizzy.

"I love you too. We need to sleep. The train leaves from the Montparnasse station tomorrow morning."

"I have an idea: Let's play hooky from work. I'll still be doing the file reviews, but we won't tell anyone where we're going. My computer and our phones are untraceable, so they won't have a location on us from them. Let Casey figure it out himself."

"I like the idea. It'll give him something to do while we're away. Hopefully, he'll also be too busy to fret about Alex and Morgan. But Graham and Beckman are going to be pissed."

"I talked to Morgan earlier. He's still fine, so I think that Casey has begun to accept him as his daughter's boyfriend. As for the higher-ups, forget about them for a few days. At worst, all we'll get is an informal verbal reprimand."

-o-

"Colonel Casey, we have a situation," Beckman said brusquely. Graham also looked agitated about something.

"What can I do, ma'am?"

"Agents Walker and Bartowski have dropped off grid. Although he did go over the latest intel batches, we can't locate them electronically. They missed the scheduled check-ins, so they are officially AWOL."

"I'll need access to all available systems, including Interpol, General."

"We've already tried these methods. But you do have access to a rather… unique resource. Agent Bartowski has an oddly codependent relationship with Mr. Grimes, who happens to be aware of his Agent status. Use him to find them, Colonel."

Casey was not too happy at having to deal with the bearded gnome, but he agreed that this option offered good prospects of success. "Yes, General," he said. "I'll call you the minute I get results."

"We'll be waiting," said the General and terminated the call.

"Great… I'll have to ask a Moron to help find a Moron," Casey muttered. Still, he understood that it was the best option. Armed with the knowledge, he marched to the Orion offices, where Morgan and Stephen were hard at work.

"John, what brings you here?" Stephen asked, pleasantly surprised by a friend's unannounced arrival.

"I need to talk to Grimes."

"Is it about Chuck? Didn't he send you an email after all?" Morgan asked.

"He sent one, but he and Walker up and vanished."

"You won't get a trace signature on his laptop or their cell phones," Stephen said. "I made them myself, you know."

"That's why I need Grimes here. He knows Bartowski better than anyone."

"What can I do for you, sir?"

*grunt* (the little bastard is respectful, I'll grant him that)

"Excuse me?"

"Come with me."

-o-

"What was all the talk about Chuck and Sarah disappearing? Did anything happen to them? I sure hope this is not the case, he deserves a good time with Sarah as he has the fate of the world resting in his hands all the time."

"This time he has something else in his hands."

"Huh?"

"Bartowski and Walker got off grid. You do the math."

"Um…"

"He's gonna need a walker when Walker's through with him."

"…"

"They are having intercourse, idiot."

"Big deal. I'm happy for them, mind you, but they did the same here. What's wrong with having a good time on vacation? As I already said, they sure deserve it."

"The bosses want to know exactly where they are all the time, given what your Moron friend happens to have in his noggin. We've tried to locate them and failed. This is where you come in."

"You did the right thing asking for my help, because I happen to be the Intersect of Chuck."

"Ugh… Just tell me where to start looking, all right?"

"OK. Since I have known Chuck for over twenty years, I happened to notice some things. Oh, good, you have an Oracle B system down here. I can work with that. May I?"

"Go ahead."

"Right… I just so happened to notice that Chuck forgot his eczema moisturizing cream at home. He needs a prescription for it." He typed a few commands. "From what I see, Dr. Feldman, our dermatologist, wrote him an international prescription, which was filled abroad three days ago… here!"

"Montparnasse! Near the train station!"

"Ah, now we're getting somewhere." Morgan hacked into the station's security camera systems. "We only need a place to start, the station is huge."

"Leave the spy work to the spies."

"John, wait! My buddy is a hardcore DC comics fan. He won't go anywhere without his latest issue of Justice League. Let me look for the nearest magazine stand… there! There is our boy – and his girl!" Sure enough, Chuck was clearly identifiable, despite wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses. He was showing a comic book to Sarah, whose blonde tresses were mostly hidden under a scarf.

"Zoom in on the ticket."

"Right away… here you go."

"Zurich… they are going to Zurich."

"And they are taking the scenic route, too. Looks like they planned the perfect romantic getaway. So, what happens now?"

"I'll call it in and wait for orders. Good job, Grimes, I'm impressed."

"I aim to please."

-o-

"It appears that Walker and Bartowski have taken a train to Zurich, General. What do you want me to do?"

"Agent Bartowski just emailed another batch of information from the Intersect, which means that he probably does not intend to disappear for good. Go find them, just in case. Take Mr. Grimes with you. His insight may prove useful."

"Yes ma'am... Grimes!"

"You called?"

"Make sure your passport is up to date and pack light."

"Are we going to Europe? We _ARE_ going to Europe, on the government's dime, no less! First class, here I come!"

-o-

"Tell me one thing, please. Why are we flying coach?"

"Because even our budget is not unlimited, imbecile."

"Can't we upgrade our tickets to at least business class? I can afford it and so can you, since your cover job pays well."

*grunt* (Fine, we'll do it your way)

"I knew you'd see the light!"

-o-

It was yet another meal Chuck and Sarah were taking in their compartment. They had stayed in it throughout the trip so far. The conductor reminded them that the train had a fully equipped dining car, but they said that they liked it better in the compartment. The old man knew a couple in love when he saw one, so he understood.

"The scenery is amazing," Sarah said as she sat cross legged on the comfortable bed looking out.

"The view from here ain't bad either," he replied, admiring how the silk robe hugged her perfect curves.

"Come here. I want to admire the view with you."

"We each have about a dozen missed calls from Graham and Beckman."

"Oh, forget about them."

"This is for the history books! Sarah Walker is acting unprofessional!"

"Just text them and tell them not to bother us unless a very _urgent_ new mission comes up, heavy emphasis on the urgent. I want to enjoy our vacation as much as humanly possible."

"Done!"

"Good. Now, we can be just Chuck and Sarah, if only for a few more days."

"I'll drink to that. Champagne?"

"Yes, please."

-o-

"I must admit, Morgan, it is much, much more comfortable in business class. Why don't you just relax and take a nap?"

"It's not easy for me. Sometimes I think the plane stays in the air only if I'm rooting for it. With the turbulence we've been hitting today, I feel I'll have to stay awake for everyone's sake."

"Well, if you disturb me, you'll be the only one who dies on this flight, comprende?" Casey said as he made himself comfortable.

"Yes," Morgan said.

Casey turned towards the window and smiled thinly. A beautiful girl was sitting right across the aisle from his travel companion and Morgan hadn't even looked at her. The kid was forever faithful to his girlfriend. Loyalty was one quality Morgan Grimes had in abundance and it compensated for many of his faults in Casey's eyes. Maybe he should give this relationship a chance, not to mention he was dying to see the look in the bearded one's eyes when he'd learn exactly whose daughter he was dating.

-o-

Chuck and Sarah finally decided to leave their compartment and go to the dining car for breakfast. She was in the bathroom, carefully applying her makeup. He was still trying to choose a shirt to wear.

"Sarah, which one do you like best, this one, or this one?" He held up two shirts by their hangers.

"I'd go for the striped shirt."

"That's what I thought."

"Shave first."

"Excuse me?"

"You need to shave, Chuck. When I woke up today, it felt like I had slept on sandpaper." Tough spy or not, her silky smooth skin was still sensitive to male stubble.

"Oh! I'll take care of it immediately."

"Would you like me to help?" She pulled an old fashioned straight razor from a bag of toiletries.

"Hi-oh! Where did you get that? Better yet, why do we even have one?"

"It's innocuous enough and may come in handy should we need it. We are spies, Chuck."

"Yeah, but I don't feel comfortable with this thing anywhere near my throat on a moving train, especially an antique one. The suspension is not nearly as good as that of modern trains."

"I also have a modern razor."

"I'll take it, thank you."

"I thought so." She lathered his face with the shaving foam. He resisted the urge to grab her and plant one right on her while having a foam beard. The result would have been funny, but it would also ruin her makeup and he wouldn't hear the end of it.

-o-

"Ah, Madame et Monsieur Charles, I see you finally took my advice," the conductor said cheerfully.

"We decided we want the full travel experience," Chuck said.

"It's definitely better in a lot of ways than the modern express trains," Sarah added.

"I'm gonna miss this about Europe, having pastry for breakfast every day," Chuck remarked after the conductor had left.

"A new European style bakery opened recently, not far from home. We can get our pastry fix any time."

"I'll drink to that." He raised his glass of orange juice. She laughed as they clinked glasses and drank.

"We're stopping," she said.

"We must be at the border. They'll change locomotives here and then it's non-stop to Zurich. Yeah, I read the brochure."

"How long is the stopover?"

"About an hour, I think."

"We could go see the town. It looks very picturesque."

"Why not?" They kissed.

*disgusted grunt* (You are making me sick)

"Casey?" Sarah asked, startled.

"What are you doing…? Morgan?"

"Hi guys."

"We're here to put a stop to any stupid ideas you two might have about turning this into a permanent vacation."

"Casey, buddy, no need to worry…"

"I got this, dude," interrupted Morgan. "As I have been trying to tell you, Chuck is nest oriented. Family and friends are everything to him. So, tell me, do you really think he would just leave everyone and disappear? Would Sarah leave, now that she has a home? I don't think so."

"He got that right, Casey," Chuck said.

"How did you find us?" Sarah asked.

"I used Grimes to find you."

"Well, I hope you enjoyed the trip."

"It was OK."

"From here the train goes non-stop to Zurich."

"We know."

"Chuck and I were planning to fly home from Zurich."

"We'll all fly back together."

"Now that the matter is settled, do you guys want breakfast? It's on me," Chuck said.

"I thought you'd never ask, dude!"

"Casey?"

"I could eat."

-o-

"Do we really have to do this, Bartowski?"

"Casey, you decided to crash our vacation. You'll just have to put up with our schedule," Chuck said, having his arms around Sarah as they admired the view from the deck of a paddle steamer on the lake. "Besides, we're flying home tonight."

"Beckman's gonna rip you guys a new one, you know that, right?"

"Do we really have to talk about work? Last time I checked, we are still on vacation and we have a few more days left."

"Graham will show more understanding, I'm sure of it," Sarah said.

"Guys, come on, relax and enjoy the ride," Morgan said. "I think we should have a group photo taken, too."

"Just don't let Ellie or Alex see it, buddy, or we'll have to answer a lot of awkward questions."

"Then we'll keep it in your computer."

"Smart thinking, Morgan."

Since they had some time left before they would have to go to the airport, the small group took a tour around the city. Chuck and Morgan were buying lots of souvenirs and gifts. Even Sarah got caught up in it and bought stuff for her father, sister, Ellie, Alex, Devon and Stephen.

The entire team changed their return tickets to fly that day back to the States at the airline office in downtown Zurich. Chuck and Sarah would still be flying first class, while Casey and Morgan would be in business class. They had a late lunch at the airport terminal and were heading towards the waiting lounge before boarding the flight, when…

"Sam?" Sarah froze. The feminine voice that spoke was very familiar. She turned and found herself looking into the blue eyes of a middle aged blonde woman.

"Mom?" To say that she was shocked would be an understatement. Chuck, Morgan and Casey were no less surprised.

"Baby girl, is it really you?"

"It's me, Mom. What are you doing here?" Sarah was stock still.

"I'm heading back to the States. What are _you_ doing here? Oh, screw it! Come here!" She enveloped her daughter in a hug. Tears brimmed in the eyes of both women. The men had retreated to a respectful distance. Chuck was processing the new knowledge. Sarah's real name was Sam.

"I'm on vacation," Sarah choked out. She motioned for Chuck to come closer. "Mom, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Chuck Bartowski. Chuck, meet Katie Miller, my Mom."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Just call me Katie, Chuck."

"There are a couple more people I want you to meet," Sarah said. She introduced Morgan and Casey to her mother.

"So, Carina has your mom's last name, right Sarah?" Chuck asked, unaware of his slip up. He was still kind of overwhelmed by the situation.

"You've met her?" Katie said. "Yes, she was born before Jack and I got married and we never got to do the paperwork to change her last name. Why did you call my baby girl 'Sarah'? Samantha Lisa Walker, what have you been up to? Did you follow on your father's footsteps?"

"Mom, it's complicated."

"We have some time until our flight boards. I want to hear everything." The others could see where Sarah had gotten her stubborn streak from. Casey looked at his partners and nodded. The damage had been done, but at least they could try to keep it contained.

"Chuck," Sarah began when they found a quiet corner to sit and talk, "now you know the name on my birth certificate. Mom, I'm not into the con business."

"Good, because I know Jack is out of it for good. I'd hate to find out that my little girl is involved in something illegal. Wait, when we last talked during the holidays, he told me that you were working for a software company."

"I do, but I work for the federal government as well. As for the name thing, my boss thought that Walker is a common enough name, so I just picked Grandma's first name." She leaned closer to her mother. "Mom, I work for the CIA. There, I said it."

"Is it true?" Katie asked the men.

"It is," Casey said. "Morgan, come with me. Walker and Bartowski have a lot to talk about with Ms. Miller."

"Thank you," Sarah said. "Mom, I always meant to ask you, why did you divorce Dad? It devastated him. It's one of the reasons he became a conman."

"I… _we_ were young back then and too stupid to try and work our issues out. It's mostly my fault. My career had taken a promising turn, and I wasn't going to give it up and become just another housewife."

"You had two daughters!"

"Baby, I'm sorry," Katie sobbed. "I'll understand if you hate me."

"Mom, I don't hate you. But I want to know this: Was it worth it?"

"No. I may have made money, but I missed my family all the time. I missed you and I missed Jack. I never stopped loving him."

"He still loves you, too."

"I know. We are talking regularly. Your sister is trying hard to get us to keep in touch with each other."

"Good, because I'm going to start helping her."

"Well, it's going to be easier than you think. I'm through with traveling all over the world. I got another promotion and a transfer and I'll be staying in my office from now on, sending others to do the troubleshooting abroad."

"Transfer?"

"Yes, to LA. I discussed it with Jack and he's moving to LA soon, too. Then we can start trying to make up for our past mistakes and the time we lost because of them."

"I'll be seeing you a lot. I live in Burbank with Chuck. You may have even heard of Chuck's company, Orion Games and Software."

"Are you kidding? We have bought most of our office software from Orion."

"Excuse me," Casey said, "but our flight is boarding."

"Let's go. We'll have almost thirteen hours to talk on the plane. I'll be in first class, so all you have to do is ask an attendant to page me."

"Mom, we are flying first class, too."

"Ladies, shall we?" Chuck said, offering his arms to Sarah and Katie.

"By all means." Sarah latched possessively on to his right arm. Katie looped her right arm around his left.

"Katie, when you get settled, you are definitely going to have to come to our place for dinner and get to meet the rest of the family."

"I'd love that, Chuck."


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N:** It took me a little longer to finish this chapter, but I had to rewrite the second half. Had I kept to the original, it would have ended up over fifteen pages long. Still, I think I'll use the material for a subsequent chapter, maybe even the next one.

Once again, a heartfelt thank you for all your support, encouragement and wishes.

* * *

**Chapter 22 – En Garde!**

"Tell me one thing, Chuck. You and Sam… Sarah, as you know her, work together for cover?"

"Katie, it was originally supposed to be a cover job for Sarah."

"Supposed?"

"Mom, it never felt like a cover to me."

"It's true. She does real work and does it extremely well. Thanks to her our profits have skyrocketed. She always has those amazing ideas and… and… well, words can't convey how lucky I am to have her working with me."

"But you know about her other job."

"I'm not at liberty to say more, but in the interest of avoiding any potentially damaging misunderstandings on your part, let's just say that I'm also working two jobs."

"Dad has also invested in Chuck's company," Sarah said proudly.

"He always had a good nose for business. In fact, I owe a lot to him for the pointers he gave me when I was starting my career in the airline and air freight business. It's ironic, isn't it? His support proved detrimental to our marriage…"

"That's all in the past now, Katie. The important thing is that you are both willing to learn from your mistakes and become a family again. Sarah was ecstatic to have her father back. I can only imagine how happy she is right now, knowing that you and Jack are on the road to getting back together."

"Let me tell you one thing about your girlfriend, Chuck, something even she doesn't know. Sarah Walker, her grandmother, was the best mother in law a girl could ever hope to have. She loved me and I adored her. When Sam was born, I wrote two names for her in the hospital form, without even telling Jack. The full name I gave her is Samantha-Sarah Lisa Walker. I wanted to honor her grandmother, but something happened with the paperwork and only one name made it to the birth certificate and her other documents. For various reasons, I never told the others anything, nor was I able to take steps to rectify the omission."

"So, my name… is my real name?"

"It's half your real name, Sarah. You didn't know about it, so I was curious as to why you were using your grandmother's name. The easiest conclusion to jump to was that you were up to something illegal. Now I know the truth and, scary though it is, I'm very proud of you, little girl."

"Thanks, Mom. It's kind of a lot to process right now, but then again there has never been a shortage of curious coincidences in my life."

"There is something else I want to know. Maybe I've been reading too many spy novels, but do you have a fancy codename?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, I do, Mom."

"You do?" Chuck asked.

"It's standard procedure."

"You never told me."

"He doesn't know?"

"There was no need, as we are working together all the time."

"Do tell us."

"It's Valkyrie."

"Get out of here!" Chuck exclaimed.

"Chuck, what's wrong with her codename? If my baby girl is half as badass as I imagine her to be, it's a fitting name. Do you know that in Norse mythology Valkyries were kind of soldiers' angels?"

"Yes, and I also know that she's _my_ Angel. It's a surprise because Morgan once referred to her as a Valkyrie."

"Morgan is one of the two gentlemen I met in Zurich and he is your partner, right?"

"Partner, best friend, grand chef and roommate, all in one compact package," Sarah said. Then she whispered something to her boyfriend. "How does he know my codename, Chuck?"

"Um…"

"Spill it!" She could be very scary when she wanted.

"It's kind of awkward, actually."

"I'm going to the ladies' room. You can tell Sarah while I'm not around."

"Thanks." Chuck waited until Katie was out of earshot. "OK, here goes: He once told me that I'm dating a leggy Valkyrie who has an aversion to clothing."

"Oh."

"Is that all you have to say, just an 'Oh'?"

"I, and apparently Morgan too, sometimes get up at night to get something to drink, water, orange juice and the like. We've met in the kitchen more than once. We've even bumped into each other a couple of times. Once I hadn't bothered to turn the light on, and the other time we were both so tired, we couldn't keep our eyes open and see where we were going. And you know I don't exactly dress like a nun for bed."

"Point taken."

-o-

Chuck looked up from his newspaper and watched Sarah as she slept in her seat, leaning into him, her head resting on his shoulder. Katie was also asleep next to her daughter. He carefully repositioned his sleeping girlfriend and reclined her seat to make her more comfortable before getting up and heading for the business class section of the airliner.

"How did it go, Moron?" Casey asked when he saw him.

"We talked, a lot. They are both asleep now. I was wondering if you could do me a favor, Casey."

"I won't tell the bosses that her mother knows what she does for a living."

"How did you know I'd ask you that?"

"I know you, idiot. Walker will tell them herself, when the time is right. Katie Miller is not any kind of security risk, anyway. She doesn't have the full facts about her daughter's assignment and she doesn't have the full facts about you."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Now shut up and let me get some sleep."

"Okie-dokie. Sweet dreams."

"Dude, I'm beginning to think that Casey's sweet dreams are other people's nightmares," observed Morgan.

"You are a lot smarter than I gave you credit for, numb nuts," Casey mumbled with his eyes closed. Chuck and Morgan began a hushed conversation, which was going to last a while.

-o-

"Daddy, hi, it's Sarah. How are you doing?" She had woken up and gone to the lavatory, where she called her father from a convenient sky phone.

"I'm fine, Darling, how are you?"

"I'm great. In fact, I'm heading home from my vacation with Chuck in Europe."

"Yes, Carina mentioned something about you calling her from Paris."

"She broke the news to you already? Never mind. Where are you now?"

"I'm staying in your old hotel room, while looking for a place here in LA."

"Really? That's great, because I need a huge favor."

"I'm listening."

"Can you please come pick Chuck and me up at the airport? We didn't take our cars and Ellie and Devon are going to be at work when we land."

"No problem; what time is your flight arriving?"

Sarah gave him the information and thanked him. The part about not having their cars was a lie. Her Porsche was in one of the airport multi-storey parking lots and she was certain that either the DeMorgan or the Crown Vic was parked right next to it. Jack Walker was in for an enormous surprise at the arrivals terminal. After hanging up the phone she returned to her seat. Chuck was still away, most likely for a chat with Morgan, as she guessed, and Katie was still peacefully sleeping in her seat. With nothing better to do, Sarah decided to go back to sleep, listening to some soft music on her iPod.

-o-

"Home sweet home," Morgan said when they all stepped off the plane and headed to reclaim their luggage.

"Grimes, did I mention how glad I am for letting you talk me into flying business class?" Casey asked as he was stretching. The cramping would have been a lot more severe had they flown coach. "Thank you."

"You are welcome."

They had collected their bags and suitcases and were walking towards the terminal exit when Katie suddenly swore.

"Mom? What's wrong?" She relaxed when she saw that Katie had just dropped her handbag.

"Let me help," Chuck offered and took Katie's suitcase, allowing her to pick up her bag and the stuff that had spilled to the floor.

"Thanks, Chuck. Can you guys give me a lift?"

"That won't be necessary." Chuck, by virtue of his height, had been the first to spot Jack, who was waiting for them to arrive.

"Huh?" Sarah asked. "Did you see Dad?"

"You called him."

"I did," she smiled.

"Chuck, Sarah welcome home. My car is right over… Katie?"

"Jack?"

"What are you doing here?" Jack and Katie asked each other in unison.

"You first," Jack said.

"I know you didn't expect to see me for another couple of days, but I wrapped it up early in Zurich. What about you?"

"Sarah called and asked me to pick her and Chuck up here."

"Why would she do that?" Chuck asked innocently. "She has her car here and… Oh! She set you guys up!"

"Here honey, let me take this for you." Jack took Katie's suitcase.

"I trust you found us a place to stay."

"You're gonna love it. It's the same room our baby girl used to stay in and it's got a great view, not to mention the memories of the best con job in my life."

"WHAT?" Katie hissed.

"It was for a good cause," Jack said defensively. "But I shouldn't have shot my mouth off."

"Explain," she huffed.

"Darling, a little help here, please?"

"What happened?"

"Did your father pull a con recently?"

"He was helping me, Mom. It was more of a sting operation. You don't need to know the details."

"That will suffice. Jack, I'm tired and I need a real bed. As good as first class seats are, there is nothing that compares to a proper and comfortable bed."

"Allow me to offer my full services for your relaxation."

"I really missed those services," Katie said hungrily and Jack just pulled her closer.

"Ew. Mom, Dad, I'm here too and I don't need to listen to this kind of talk."

"That's enough, young lady," her mother admonished before kissing her ex husband.

-o-

The following morning Chuck was having some more coffee after a very filling breakfast, while reading his newspaper. He was going over an article about the police seeking information that could lead to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the shooting of a local businesswoman in an apparent mugging, when he flashed.

"Hot damn," he swore.

"Chuck?"

"I spilled some coffee…"

"You should be more careful. I'll go get some clean clothes for you to change into."

"…Because I flashed," he said and she stopped in her tracks. Her spy mode kicked in.

"What triggered it?"

"This article did." He handed her the newspaper and waited for her to read it. "This Andrea Lambert's real name is Sydney Prince and she works for the Ring," he explained.

"It says here that she's in serious but not immediately life threatening condition. If it was indeed a mugging, we got really lucky."

"Or it could be one of the effects of the counter-Ring campaign," he finished the thought.

"We need to call it in and act fast before they try again." They ran to their room.

"Special Agent Carmichael," Chuck identified himself to the TV. The voice recognition software accepted the log-in and connected him to the General's office.

"Good morning, Chuck, Sarah."

"Good morning, General. I just flashed on a newspaper article."

"While enjoying your morning coffee, I see. What was it about?"

"It's simple really: the victim of an apparent mugging, who is currently hospitalized in serious condition, is a Ring operative." Chuck turned his computer on, scanned the article and emailed it to Beckman along with a concise report on his flash.

"Chuck and I think it might have been an internal strike, possibly due to our misinformation operations."

"Look into the matter, but do it discreetly. It may well turn out to be a botched mugging and I don't want you to compromise your covers."

"Yes ma'am." Sarah then turned to Chuck. "We'd better get Casey and bring him up to speed."

"Good idea."

-o-

"What's your prognosis on Ms. Lambert's condition, Doctor?" Casey asked.

"She's still not completely out of the woods, but we are optimistic. She hasn't regained consciousness and she had lost a lot of blood, but I think she'll make a full recovery."

"We've contacted her next of kin," Casey lied. "They want her moved to a private hospital in her hometown. Is she fit enough to survive a transfer?"

"There have been no complications for the past two days, so I believe she can be moved."

"I'll let her relatives know."

"Is there anything else, Agent Johnson?" Casey was posing as an FBI agent.

"No, Doctor, there is not. You've been very helpful, thank you. I'll have to go see the LAPD detective in charge of the case now. Have a nice day."

"You too."

Sydney was indeed moved, but not to a hospital in the bogus Ms. Lambert's home state. First, her death in the hospital where she was originally being treated was faked and she was taken to a secure CIA facility. There, she would receive care from specialized medical personnel and be safe from further attempts on her life. The doctor in charge promised to keep Casey informed of any changes in her condition.

This matter settled, Sarah had other stuff to worry about, namely having both her parents over to her and Chuck's place for dinner. She had gone into what Chuck was fond of describing as her Martha Stewart mode. Having already cleaned up the apartment, she was in the kitchen, preparing to start cooking when Ellie knocked on the door.

"It's open," Sarah yelled. She had recognized Ellie's signature knock.

"Hi Sarah."

"Hi. Come in. Is there anything I can get you?"

"Thanks, I'm good. What are you doing in there?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? My parents are coming over for dinner tonight. Didn't Devon tell you? You are invited too."

"He mentioned something about you making dinner for everyone, but he said nothing about your parents. So, your mother is finally back from Europe?"

"Believe it or not, she was on the same flight as us. And this time she's here to stay."

"That's wonderful news. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Thanks, but I can manage. You have already helped a great deal."

"I have?"

"Before I met Chuck, and you, I was a terrible cook. Now, I can hold my own in a kitchen."

"You are a natural, Sarah."

"Thanks. I would like your opinion on this sauce." She held out a spoon for Ellie to taste the concoction.

"It's perfect."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. Just let it simmer for a little longer."

"I was planning to."

"Is that your Mom?" Ellie asked, picking up a framed photo.

"Yes. Chuck took the picture at the airport in Zurich."

"She's beautiful. And she looks like a nice person, too."

"She is. Let me tell you something very personal. I'm really happy that she and Dad are getting back together, even after all those years."

"You are very lucky, Sarah. I wish I knew where my Mom is right now."

"I hope you'll get the chance to find out."

"Anyway, I'll repeat that you lay out a good spread here. Judging from the quantity of the food you are preparing, you have also invited Morgan, Alex and John."

"Your Dad will also be coming over."

-o-

Dinner was fun. Sarah and her Mom were seated side by side and could not have enough of each other's presence. Jack, Devon, Stephen and Casey were trading jokes as usual. Katie was happy that her daughter had finally found a home and a lot of people who loved her. Of course, Sarah had cautioned her not to talk about meeting Morgan and Casey in Zurich and about her other job. When the men gathered in front of the TV to watch a football game once the dishes were cleared away, Ellie took the other ladies to her apartment for wine and chat, although they were sometimes interrupted by the cheering coming from Chuck's living room. When they finally called it a night, Jack and Katie bade everyone goodnight and drove to the hotel. They were both staying there until they could find a place of their own.

-o-

"Walker, Bartowski, come with me. Prince has regained consciousness," Casey said, coming into Sarah's office late in the afternoon, near the end of an uneventful day.

"Hold on a sec while I give Morgan a heads-up."

"I'll go get the Vic. Meet me in the parking lot."

"OK."

Casey drove them to the CIA facility downtown and they were granted admittance after they showed their credentials to the agents in charge of security. It was the same facility they had spy-proofed not long ago.

"You can see her now," the agent in charge said. "She still believes that she's in a hospital."

"Let's do it," Casey said. They followed a doctor to the medical section.

"Are you with the police?" Sydney asked weakly when they entered her room. It was configured exactly like a legitimate hospital room, right down to the ventilator, heart rate monitor, IV stand and other paraphernalia. As for the patient herself, she was so pale that she looked like death warmed over.

"Not exactly, Ms. Lambert, or should I say… Ms. Prince?" Chuck said. He had gone into full blown Agent Carmichael mode. Sydney's eyes flew wide at the mention of her real name and her heart rate spiked.

"How do you know me?"

"We know you work for the Ring, Ms. Prince."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Carmichael."

"You are CIA. I've heard of you."

"I am. It's up to you to make it easy on yourself, Ms. Prince. You see, nobody knows where you are. Officially, Andrea Lambert died of post-surgery complications. The best option you have right now is to start talking."

"The alternative would not be pleasant," Sarah added. "Agent Carmichael is offering you a chance here. Otherwise, you'll be moved to another facility and I cannot guarantee you'll be cared for just as well."

Sydney closed her eyes and took some deep breaths while processing what she'd just learned. Her only chance was to take the offer. She knew that, since she had been betrayed by her own people. "What do you want to know?"

"First of all, who shot you?"

"I knew him as Justin Sullivan. I think he works for the CIA. Well, the Ring really, he's one of the moles inside the CIA."

"Why did they decide to terminate you?" Casey asked.

"Daniel Shaw," she said tiredly.

"What of him?"

"I used to work with him. The higher-ups must think he betrayed them, since we lost the Director at the same time Shaw disappeared. I and everyone else who has worked with him must have fallen under suspicion. I'm not the first the Elders ordered a hit on, I think."

"Who else did they have killed?"

"Hunter Perry, who was another mole in the CIA. He had been a liaison with a team we had in Russia. Last I heard, the FSB broke up that particular cell. They must have feared that I know too much and ordered me killed."

"Excuse us," Chuck said and took Sarah and Casey outside. "Graham and Beckman must have planted evidence implicating Shaw in the Ring Director's capture back in Paris and passed his disappearance off as a defection to our side."

"It's a classic divide and conquer strategy and it makes perfect sense," Sarah said.

"If I'm right, this is only the beginning of infighting within the Ring, which could escalate to a full blown war between its factions, and even within those factions," Chuck said.

"Making our job all the more easier," Casey added. "But we'll have to keep it contained to minimize collateral damage. First, we have to report all that to the General and the Director."

-o-

"You guessed correctly, Agent Bartowski," Graham said. "We have indeed planted information leading the Ring to believe that they have been betrayed by Shaw, whose demise has been covered up most efficiently."

"Keep pumping Sydney Prince for information. Since she's decided to accept our offer, we'd be remiss not to reap the windfall," Beckman added.

"We should focus the questioning on the current ventures she has knowledge of. The remaining information can be extracted at relative leisure."

"Proceed in this direction, Agent Walker. That will be all for now."

"We got our orders," Casey remarked. "Let's go carry them out." He led his partners back to Sydney's room.

"Your willingness to cooperate has been noted, Ms. Prince," Chuck said, resuming the role of lead interrogator. "Right now, you need to give us a little more information, as a gesture of good faith."

"The Ring does not deserve my loyalty any more, Agent Carmichael, not since they questioned it so harshly, to put it mildly. What do you want to know?"

"Any current operation that you know of is a good place to start."

"Okay," Sydney said and tried to move a bit and make herself more comfortable, but immediately her face contorted in pain. "Fuck," she hissed, "that hurt."

"Try not to pull out your stitches. I'll get a doctor to take a look at you and then we'll continue our chat."

"Good move, Bartowski. You gain her trust by showing interest for her welfare while still reminding her that it's all dependent upon her continuing to cooperate," Casey said outside, while a doctor and a nurse were checking up on Sydney.

"You are doing great, Chuck," Sarah encouraged.

"Thanks guys. But… what will happen to her once she has revealed everything she knows?"

"She'll go into witness protection, most likely," Casey said. "She's an enemy of the Ring now and she may be useful to us in many ways."

"You can go back in there now, but keep it brief. She's still too weak," the nurse said, as she and the doctor left the room.

"How are you now, Sydney?" Chuck asked, taking a seat next to the bed and offering her some fruit juice.

"Better, thank you, Agent Carmichael."

"Then we can continue our chat."

"You wanted to know about current operations."

"Yes. Let's start with your base of operations. Where was it located?"

"It was in an office building downtown. What day is it?"

"It's Thursday."

"I was shot on Tuesday." She paused and willed herself to concentrate. "They must have sent a cleaner crew to it by now, to remove all evidence pointing to the Ring."

"Still, we'd like the address."

"It's on the corner of Wilshire and Grand." With some effort, she picked up a notepad and a pen from the nightstand and wrote the exact address and office number before tearing the top sheet off and handing it to Chuck.

"Thank you."

"Underneath I also wrote the address of another facility, which may still be in use. You can check it out, if you like."

"Excuse me for interrupting, but my patient needs to get some rest. You can come back tomorrow, Agents," the doctor said, coming into the room. CIA employee or not, the doctor was still conscientious and Hippocratic.

"We'll talk again tomorrow then, Ms. Prince."

"I look forward to it, Agent Carmichael."

-o-

"So, what do we do now?" Chuck asked as they were heading towards the parking lot and Casey's Vic. "Are we going to check out the addresses Sydney gave us?"

"I called the General while you were in the can. She said that she'd assign another team to investigate Prince's office. We are going to stake out the other location."

"Dandy. We haven't had a proper stakeout for a long time."

"Forgotten Paris already?" Sarah teased.

"Huh? No, it's just… that wasn't a proper stakeout."

"What's a proper stakeout in your book, Moron?"

"Let me see… the three of us in the car, takeout and the appropriate tunes. Something we have not had the chance to do since before Fulcrum was defeated."

"No need to rush things. We'll drive by as we head back to Burbank and take a look, although I personally don't expect much. It's after five and even the Ring agents will have gone home, to keep up appearances."

In the end Casey was proved right. There were no lights on in the office Sydney's note indicated. It was quite a relief to Chuck and Sarah, who would be able to enjoy a quiet evening together.

-o-

"We can order in, Sarah. You don't have to cook right now."

"I want to. I promised to you this morning that I'd take care of dinner and I intend to keep my word."

"You cooked yesterday."

"Exactly." She used her key to open the door. Chuck intended to continue their argument inside, but never got the chance.

"Welcome home, guys," Morgan said. "Dinner's almost ready."

"Morgan, I told you I'd take care of it," Sarah said.

"I know, but you were running a bit late. Besides, I did what you would have done."

Intrigued, Chuck went into the kitchen to see what Morgan had made and realized what his friend meant. He had simply used the leftovers from yesterday's dinner to create various delicious dishes.

"You intended to cheat," he accused Sarah.

"I busted my butt making all that stuff yesterday. Today would have taken very little effort. I mean, just look at the result."

"Guys, enough talking, I'm starving," Morgan interrupted the 'arguing' couple.

-o-

"Buddy, I hope you won't mind taking care of things at the office," Chuck said in the morning.

"Let me guess: super secret spy mission? No need to worry, dude. Besides, I really love working with your Dad. It's almost like working with you, since you are so much alike. But you will be home for dinner, right? Alex is cooking tonight, under the cruel tutelage of Pai Mei, sorry, me."

"I don't understand," Sarah said.

"It means that Morgan is going to be giving Alex some pointers."

"Well, it sounded almost scary."

"It was a Kill Bill reference. And now we have a subject for the next movie marathon: Kill Bill Volumes One and Two."

-o-

"We have activity," Casey said. He had gone into the building the previous night and planted a miniature camera in the hallway.

"I couldn't get a clear image of the person entering the office," Chuck said. "But it was a big guy. The angle is not the best."

"There is someone leaving."

Sarah captured the image of the man exiting the Ring office and they didn't even have to run it through the Intersect or the facial recognition software. It was Justin Sullivan, whose file Graham had just sent them.

"It's Sullivan, the guy Prince identified as having shot her. It's official. We have found a Ring cell."

"Call it in, Walker."

"Will do."

The stakeout mix was playing in the background while Sarah was taking her turn at the monitor. The small camera Casey had managed to plant behind a vent grille could only give them clear images of people leaving the office, but it couldn't be helped, there was no better place to hide it.

"What next, are we just going to sit here all day and identify Ring operatives? Others could handle it equally well," Chuck complained.

"If we identify someone important, we'll break in and look for intel," Sarah explained.

It didn't take long for this to happen. Around lunchtime, Chuck flashed on the big guy they'd seen enter the office earlier. His name was Hugo Panzer, a very dangerous man, believed to be working as an enforcer for the higher echelons of the Ring. Simply being there meant that something big was afoot. The team reported their decision to investigate after hours and got approval from Graham and Beckman.

"What time do we go in?"

"Any time from after five to dawn," Casey said.

"Good, because we are all invited to our place tonight for dinner."

"Who's cooking?" Casey was hoping that it would be either Ellie or Morgan.

"Your daughter is," replied Sarah.

*grunt* (Alex? How come?)

"She wanted Morgan to teach her some of the finer points of cooking."

"OK. But after dinner it's back to business."

"We'll invent an excuse to slip out of the apartment in case Alex decides to spend the night there."

"Grrrrrrrrr…"

"You struck a chord there, Chuck," observed Sarah.

-o-

Having gotten the confirmation they needed, there was not much to do until later and they didn't want to arouse suspicion, so they returned to their day jobs. Right up to closing time Sarah had a blast working with Chuck, Stephen and Morgan. Two Bartowskis, double the fun, as Casey was fond of saying.

Morgan was the first to leave. He had to pick Alex up from work and then take her to Echo Park. Alex found that her boyfriend was not only good in the kitchen, but he could teach others what he knew quite effortlessly, without being pushy and she liked that.

Over dinner, everyone complimented Alex's cooking, especially Ellie; this meant a lot, since she was the best cook among them. Chuck and Sarah offered to clean up afterwards and then declared that they were going out for a drive and maybe have a drink. While Morgan and Stephen knew, and Devon suspected, the truth, Ellie and Alex believed the couple was just planning a romantic evening out. Even the argument about which car they would take was amusing. In the end Sarah's view prevailed and they took the Porsche. Casey quietly slipped out of his apartment unnoticed and met them at the cars. He was still somewhat angry because Alex would indeed be spending the night with Morgan, but now he was all business.

Getting into the building was easy. Security was lax and in any case all three guards on duty were gathered around a TV in the security booth, watching a game. Casey had obtained the building plans and they knew where the cameras were located, so they easily avoided them. As for the Ring's office, it didn't have any special security measures, at least as far as the hallway was concerned, in an effort to appear just like any other office and not stand out. Chuck had reviewed the video footage they had and noticed a few details about the office's own security system, which were visible every time the door opened.

"Give me the borescope," he told Casey when they stopped in front of the office door. He slipped it inside and surveyed the interior of the office. It was deserted, and he easily located the security system control panel and promptly flashed on it. "The good news is that I know how to get us in."

"And the bad news?" Sarah whispered.

"It's going to take some time."

"We've got all night, Bartowski. What do we have to do?"

"We'll just have to cut the power to this office. The system they have here is designed to use backup power, but there isn't any such thing around."

"Piece of cake," Casey said. "Wait here, I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Chuck?" Sarah said, after Casey left.

"Yes?"

"Do you have any heist movies in your collection?"

"I have plenty, why ask?"

"I'm just in the mood for a heist movie right now, that's all. It certainly feels like I'm in one."

"Ask and you shall receive," he said pontifically.

"The power is out," Casey said when he rejoined them. "Let's open the door."

"I'll do it," Sarah said and pulled her lock pick kit out of a pocket. She had the door open in no time at all. "Open sesame."

Chuck sent Casey to restore the power to the office and stood by the security system control panel. When the power came back, he turned it off, his earlier flash having supplied him with the necessary information. From there he went straight to the mainframe computer and hacked into it, again with some help from the Intersect, copying the data into a portable hard drive. Sarah and Casey were rifling through drawers and cabinets, photographing any documents they found. They were almost done when the door suddenly opened and Sullivan walked in with Panzer. They had been ordered to secure something in the office safe.

"What the…" Sullivan said when he saw Sarah. He attempted to draw his gun, but she disarmed him with a swift kick. Hugo went after Chuck, wielding a nasty looking blade. Casey was in another room when he heard the noise and ran to help his partners.

Meanwhile, Chuck snatched a genuine 18th Century sword from a wall, flashed on fencing skills and prepared to take on Hugo.

"En Garde," he said smugly. Panzer lunged forward, but Chuck easily parried the thrust and used his opponent's momentum to move to an advantageous position, bringing the flat side of his blade on Panzer's behind. "Point!"

"You are going to die anyway," the Ring agent growled.

"You are forgetting one thing, mate. I'm Agent Charles Carmichael, savvy?" Chuck taunted and deflected another thrust.

Nearby, Sarah was in the process of kicking Justin's ass. He was good, but he was no match for her and she was too fast for him. He didn't land a single punch, while she took the offensive with a series of jabs that doubled him over. A hard kick sent him to his knees and then Sarah jumped in the air, using the added momentum to land a mighty punch that knocked Justin out cold.

Casey was looking on impressed as Sarah defeated Sullivan and Chuck was more than holding his own against Panzer, his newfound skill more than compensating for the Ring agent's strength and experience. The sword duel went on for another minute and then Chuck disarmed the huge man with a perfectly executed move.

"Do you yield?"

"Not in your dreams, Carmichael."

"Well, it wouldn't be sporting to continue with you unarmed." He turned to Casey. "He's yours, partner."

"Finally. I was feeling kind of left out."

"I wouldn't want to disappoint you," Chuck said and proceeded to hang the sword back in its place on the wall, while Casey took his place.

Panzer was an edged weapons and close combat expert, but even he was unable to stand up against the angry Marine Corps issue killing machine that was Casey. It was all over in less than two minutes.

"You'll have to work on your anger issues," Chuck observed, looking down at Hugo's unconscious form.

"Shut up and give me the zip ties, Bartowski. Better yet, call it in."

"Okie-dokie." For good measure, he took his tranq gun and put a dart into each one of their fallen opponents. "Sarah, how are you doing?"

"I think I broke a fingernail."

"What? You don't have long fingernails!"

"I was just kidding," she laughed and rubbed her knuckles.

"I'd better call Graham and the General and ask them to send a cleaner team here to take care of those two."

-o-

"Excellent work, team," Graham said later, during the debriefing in Castle.

"Thanks to your efforts, we have eliminated yet another Ring cell, not to mention the wealth of intel you recovered." Beckman was obviously very pleased with the outcome of the mission.

"General, the information Sydney Prince gave us helped a lot," Casey said.

"We wouldn't have known about this particular Ring cell otherwise," Sarah said.

"She may have a lot more information to offer us. The least we can do is offer her a good deal in return," Chuck added.

"Duly noted, Agents. You can resume your interrogation of Ms. Prince tomorrow. The doctors have reported that her condition is steadily improving."

"For now you can go home and get some rest," Graham said. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Chuck, Sarah and Casey chorused.

"I won't ask where you learned to fence like that because I already know the answer, but it was a sight to behold, Chuck."

"You weren't bad, either. You really kicked Sullivan's ass."

"Let's go change and be on our way home. We were lucky to wrap it all up early."

"I'll be going," Casey said. "You lock up here. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Casey."

Chuck and Sarah quickly changed into the casual clothes they had been wearing before the mission, locked up and then went to take the Porsche. There was no traffic at this hour, so they soon arrived home and slipped into their room through the Morgan Door.

"I think we should rename this window," Sarah said.

"What do you mean?" Chuck asked as he was changing into his pajamas.

"We can call it the 'Chuck and Sarah Door', or the 'Spy Door'. There is no need to call it the Morgan Door, since he now lives here."

"I understand, but it's been the Morgan Door for a very long time, more than ten years. It's a tradition and I'd hate to change it."

"Good point," she conceded.

"Enough talking. Come to bed."

"Give me a minute to change." She stripped down to her underwear and pulled on a large T-shirt before joining her boyfriend in bed. "I really meant what I said earlier, about the sword duel. It turned me on," she whispered huskily.

"I'm lucky to have a badass spy as my girlfriend, too," he replied and kissed her. Things just followed their usual course from there.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 – Deep Freeze**

"Good morning Chuck," Sarah said sleepily and stretched slowly.

"Good morning Sarah. What would you like for breakfast today?"

"Surprise me."

"Wait here and don't move," he said as he was getting dressed.

"Can I at least get dressed?"

"Here, catch." He tossed her some underwear and pajamas. Then he left the room heading for the kitchen, while Sarah put her clothes on and lay back in bed, waiting for breakfast to arrive. Chuck was not alone in the kitchen. Morgan was already there, making coffee.

"Hey dude, how was your night?"

"Fantastic, what about yours?"

"The same. I'm making breakfast for Alex."

"Give me some room to maneuver. I want to make breakfast for Sarah, too."

"We are two very considerate guys, serving our girlfriends breakfast in bed."

"That we are, little buddy." _I sure hope Casey is NOT listening in on us right now_, he thought.

There was some argument regarding who would get first dibs on the use of the stove. Eventually they compromised, agreeing to cooperate and make the same dish, since they knew that both Alex and Sarah loved it.

"Keep an eye on the eggs, Chuck. I'll get started on the waffles."

"Roger that. Well, the eggs are doing OK, so we can work on the batter for the waffles."

"One question: What should we serve them with?"

"I think I'll use ice cream for Sarah's, like I saw it done in Europe. Maybe I'll add some syrup, too."

"That's not a bad idea. Do we have enough ice cream here?"

"Check the freezer. I think we still have some Rocky Road. The eggs are almost done. Where's the bacon?"

"Look to your left. Did you see the waffle iron Ellie gave me for Christmas anywhere?"

"It's in the cupboard by your knees."

Chuck and Morgan worked great together no matter what they were doing. The division of the tasks between them was almost automatic, a testimony to how well they knew each other. Some freshly squeezed orange juice completed the hearty breakfast menu.

"I think we're done here," Chuck said as he picked up his tray.

"The girls can clean up later," Morgan chuckled. "But we'd better do it ourselves."

"Yeah, not that we have much cleaning up to do anyway."

-o-

"About time you got here, I'm starving," Sarah started to complain, but immediately changed her mind. "Oh, it smells good… looks good, too."

"Dig in," he said, after setting the large tray down on an over bed portable table.

"Won't you eat?" Sarah asked around her first bite.

"We made enough for four," he replied.

"What do you mean by 'we' and 'four', Chuck?"

"Morgan and I apparently had the same idea, so we joined forces in the kitchen." He picked up a fork and started eating.

"It's all delicious."

"Thank you."

"I hope you guys didn't leave a mess for Alex and me to clean up in the kitchen."

"How did you get that idea?"

"Did you?"

"Not really. I mean, we considered it…"

"Men," she huffed.

"But we decided to clean up and we did it."

"You'll be rewarded for your thoroughness later."

"I can't wait. So, what else is on the schedule for today?"

"We can swing by Casey's place and find out."

When they finished their breakfast, Sarah put on a pair of jeans and the blue top Chuck really liked, while he dressed casually in jeans and a shirt. Across the courtyard, Casey had some news for them.

"I just talked to the doctor at the downtown facility. Prince is doing better and we can visit her later."

"Did she say anything else?"

"She was informed of our latest success and she was very pleased to hear we got Sullivan."

"That should provide her with a little extra motivation to keep on helping us."

"Correct, Bartowski. Anyway, one of the agents there said that she prefers to deal with us, you specifically."

"Me?"

"Yes, Moron, you. You have earned her trust."

"I'll put in a good word for her with Graham and Beckman."

"When are we going to talk to her again?" Sarah asked.

"According to her doctor, they'll be checking her progress and she eventually be available to talk to us in the afternoon. Fortunately, they did a great job at the hospital where she was originally treated."

"Is that all?"

"That's all, for now. I'll call you if something comes up."

"Okay then, buddy, we'll reconvene in the afternoon," Chuck said.

-o-

"Tell me, Chuck," Sarah said when they were alone back in their room again, "when questioning Sydney the other day, did you flash on interrogation techniques?"

"I did not. I just played it by ear."

"Well, I'll say it again: You did a great job."

In the end they decided to pass the time doing household chores while waiting for Casey to contact them. Sarah was quite a sight with her hair in a messy bun held up by a scarf, wearing old sweats, rubber gloves and an apron as she was cleaning the bathroom. Chuck was mopping the hallway, having finished vacuuming the carpets. Morgan and Alex had gone out to buy groceries and other stuff they needed.

"I think we've done enough," Chuck said later.

"It doesn't get any cleaner than that," she agreed.

"What time is it?"

"It's just a few minutes shy of one."

"Are you hungry?"

"I'm starving, but we are mostly out of food and Morgan and Alex are not back yet."

"I'll just order a pizza." He called their favorite pizza parlor and ordered enough for everyone, no olives on the veggie. When Morgan and Alex returned, they expressed their appreciation for their friends' forethought.

A couple of hours passed until Casey finally called them with the news that they had gotten the OK from Sydney's doctor to see her again. They gave an excuse about wanting to go out for a drive. Before they left, Chuck winked at Morgan, making him realize they were going to work on their spy jobs. The bearded one nodded and smiled them good luck.

-o-

"Hello Sydney," Chuck said as he entered the room carrying a paper bag.

"Hello Agent Carmichael," Sydney replied. "Where are your partners?"

"They'll be along shortly. Here, I brought you some magazines, fruit juice and cupcakes."

"How did you know I like cupcakes?"

"Everyone loves good cupcakes," he said.

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

"It's the least I can do, since your last tip paid off in spades. We have Sullivan and a guy named Panzer in custody. So, how are you doing?"

"I'll live, or so the doctors are telling me. And thanks for the good news," she said and pressed a button to activate the mechanism of the adjustable hospital bed, allowing her to sit up. Sarah and Casey entered at that moment and exchanged greetings with Sydney.

"The doctors say you are making steady progress, Ms. Prince," Sarah said.

"Yes, I'm being well taken care of. So, what else would you like to know?"

"We'd like to know if there is any other Ring operation currently underway that you know of."

"Yes, there is an operation currently in progress, which had been in the works for some time now. It must be very important for some reason."

"Tell us about it. As for past and future operations, we can leave those for later."

"I was not supposed to know, but I learned it was a joint venture with Volkoff Industries." At the mention of Volkoff, Chuck flashed, turning towards Sarah to mask the signs from Sydney.

"Volkoff, as in Alexei Volkoff, the arms dealer?"

"The same. He has been supplying weapons to the Ring and to clients indicated by the Ring for years."

"This is big. A number of intelligence and law enforcement agencies all over the world have been after Volkoff for a long time, but every time they haven't been able to come up with enough evidence to implicate him."

"Tell us about the operation," Sarah said.

"It was about procuring a weapon, which would then be rented out to selected customers and used to further the Ring's aims."

"What weapon was that?"

"From what I heard, it was a Russian designed aircraft."

"What kind of aircraft?"

"I honestly don't know. My job was to find a convenient site to house it and keep the crews there provisioned for the duration of the training and demonstration operations."

"Did you say demonstration?"

"The aforementioned selected customers would be given the chance to see it in action."

"Are you sure you don't know the type?" Chuck insisted.

"If it's a Sukhoi Fencer or Fullback, we're in deep shit," Casey observed.

"Those types are too high-profile and the Russians keep them secure all the time," Sarah said.

"Shark; its name included the word Shark," Sydney said suddenly.

"You mean the Black Shark attack helicopter?" Chuck said. The Kamov Ka-50 and Ka-52 Black Shark ranked among the most advanced attack helicopters in the world.

"It was not a helicopter, I'm sure of it."

"Then what was it?"

"I'm trying to remember, believe me!"

"We believe you. Relax, take your time and think about it." There was a knock on the door. "Come in," said Chuck.

"Sirs, ma'am, you need to let the patient have some more rest," the nurse said.

"OK." Chuck then got up and patted Sydney on the knee. "You have been helping. If you remember anything, ask the doctor to contact us."

"I will. Thank you, Agent Carmichael."

"See you later. Oh, I almost forgot: did you actually get to recommend a location?"

"I submitted a list of possible sites for consideration, most of them in Alaska. I'll write them down for you."

"You do that. We'll be back."

-o-

"What's bugging you, Chuck," Sarah asked as Casey was driving them home.

"The Kamov designs are the only Russian aircraft which include the word Shark in their designations. I wonder if it could be one of the original V-80 prototypes, refurbished and fitted with operational equipment."

"How do you know so much about this, Bartowski?"

"Flight simulator games," Chuck answered.

*grunt* (I should have known)

"Being a Nerd is useful sometimes," observed Sarah. Then Chuck's phone rang. He listened attentively for a minute and hung up.

"Casey, take us back. Sydney wants to talk to us."

"Roger that."

-o-

"I remembered some things, Agent Carmichael."

"I'm all ears."

"The aircraft is called Jet Shark Zero-One Blue."

_A Remington typewriter_

_A blurry satellite photo_

_Provisional three-view drawing_

_Estimated specifications and performance of the Kamov V-150 Jet Shark_

_A Remington typewriter_

"Oh boy…"

"You know what she's talking about?"

"I do… I read a paper on it once. It's essentially a private venture fixed wing attack aircraft derivative of the Black Shark family using a structurally reinforced fuselage and landing gear, new empennage, powered by two thrust vectoring RD-35 turbofans, with emphasis on loiter time, low speed performance characteristics, maneuverability, ability to operate from short and rough fields, combined with excellent protection, heavy armament and a 500+ miles per hour top speed. The project was believed terminated due to lack of and funding before the prototype was flown. In fact, it was reported to have been destroyed in a train derailment accident as it was being transported to Moscow for some testing. It was intended to be further developed into a two seat strike, counterinsurgency and reconnaissance variant and maybe even redesigned for stealth."

"The derailment and subsequent fire was Volkoff's doing, to steal the aircraft," Sydney confirmed.

"Can it be made operational?" Casey asked.

"Upon arrival to Moscow, the prototype would have been made flight-ready, following uncrating and reassembly. The cannon and fire control systems were fitted as far as I know."

"You seem to know the characteristics of the base airframe. What can you tell us about its combat potential, Carmichael?" Casey insisted.

"With the baseline avionics suite, it's a very capable day attack aircraft. Being essentially a technology demonstrator prototype, it would have the original Skhval – that's Russian for Squall – system, giving it limited night-time capability, unless an infrared imager was also added. The problem would be in finding guided air to ground weapons to arm it with. Cannon ammunition, unguided rockets and dumb bombs, even heat seeking air to air missiles are easy to find. But I think Volkoff's connections would enable him to get his hands on older 9M114 Shturm – AT-6 Spiral – series missiles from former Soviet republics or client states. The available reports definitely mentioned the V-150 as being capable of launching both laser and radio command guided missiles."

"Here is the list of possible bases. Most are abandoned airfields dating from the Second World War and located away from populated areas." Sydney gave them a piece of paper with her notes.

"Thank you, Sydney. Now, get some rest. The details of your acceptance into the special witness protection program will be discussed soon."

"I'll be seeing you around, Agents."

-o-

"This is disturbing information indeed," Beckman said later, when the spy trio contacted her from Castle.

"General, I suggest detailed satellite reconnaissance of all sites on the list Ms. Prince provided. We'll also need to contact the Russian FSB and possibly the GRU and coordinate the investigation and recovery efforts with them," Chuck said.

"The Russians are itching to get their hands on Volkoff, too," remarked Sarah.

"Depending on the results of the satellite imagery analysis, you may have to fly to Alaska and assume command of our operations there. I suggest you pack warm clothes, Agents," said Graham.

"We'll contact you again with more details on your assignment. Have a nice evening, people."

-o-

Chuck and Sarah were snuggled together in bed as usual when their phones beeped simultaneously, waking them up from their peaceful slumber. The night had passed quietly, with no word yet on the remote base for the combined Ring/Volkoff operation.

"Sarah, get up," Chuck said. "We have a location."

"Tell me where it is," she mumbled sleepily.

"It's in Alaska, like Sydney said."

"I don't want to go to Alaska," she whined, still not fully awake. "It's cold up there."

"I don't want to go up there either, but it's our job. Now, come on, let's go for a nice shower and then we have to get ready."

Sarah's ears perked up at the mention of shower. The fog of sleep clouding her blue eyes was replaced by a predatory gleam. It was a very rare occasion that a shower with Chuck was just that, a simple shower. And she needed her Chuck fix – again.

"What are we going to tell the others?" Sarah asked while enjoying a cup of coffee after their (really long) shower. "I mean, Morgan and Devon will at least suspect that we are going on spy business, but we have to come up with a convincing excuse for Ellie."

"I've got it covered. We are going on a business trip that Dad arranged for us, or at least that's what we're telling Ellie. But I have another question."

"Shoot."

"We'll need cold weather gear for the Alaska trip. And I know we don't have any in Castle."

"Casey will take care of it."

"OK then. Is there anything else we'll need?"

"You're asking me?"

"I could flash on a list, but where's the fun in that?"

"Let's go to Castle and pack our equipment."

-o-

"Agent Walker, Agent Bartowski, you will take a flight to Anchorage tomorrow. Colonel Casey will be joining you shortly, as he's currently procuring some necessary equipment and arranging to have the rest readily available when you arrive," Graham said.

"We see, sir," Chuck said.

"You are also expected to brief Colonel Casey on certain details of the mission. There will be a Russian liaison team with you. I must stress that if the aircraft cannot be recovered, it will have to be destroyed. The Russians have already agreed to that."

"Say we recover it, General. What happens next?" Sarah asked.

"It will be returned to its owner, the Kamov company."

"I see."

"The FSB Director has assured me that he will assign only people he can trust on this mission. As a gesture of good faith he has sent us the names. Just take a look at them, Chuck."

"Yes, General."

-o-

"She wasn't kidding," Chuck said after flashing on the first couple of names in the file they had received. "Those guys are the cream of the crop in the FSB's counter-terrorism and organized crime division, with a lot of experience and a history of cooperation with Western agencies on joint operations all over the world. They are clean, too."

"That's good news."

Sarah went to get some more coffee from the kitchenette they had down there. Chuck answered a phone and briefly talked to Casey, who wanted some things added to the mission equipment package, while he would be bringing some more stuff. The matter settled, Chuck gratefully accepted a steaming mug from his girlfriend. The coffee break was pleasant and then Sarah asked him to help her in the storeroom. Casey arrived soon afterwards lugging some boxes. When they had everything ready, Chuck went back to reading the list. The flash caused by the fourth and last name was, well, interesting.

"Sugar Bear," he mumbled and smiled. "Sugar Bear's girlfriend is in town…" Still smiling, he ran off to find Casey.

"What is it, Bartowski?"

"I have good news. The Russians we'll be working with are all clean."

"That's good news indeed."

"There is one more thing. Does the name Ilsa Trinchina mean anything to you, _Sugar Bear_?"

The reaction Chuck got was not what he was expecting. In a lightning fast move a pair of huge strong hands closed around his neck, lifting him off the floor and slamming him to a wall. "You say that name ever again and I'll end you. Nod if you understand, Moron." Casey dropped Chuck to the floor when the latter nodded, more surprised than afraid. Sarah passed by not a minute later and saw her boyfriend still down.

"Chuck, what happened, are you OK?"

"I'll live," he croaked.

"Casey did that to you?" She was getting angry.

"I was asking for it. You see, his ex-girlfriend will be in Alaska. It must have been a pretty bad break up, since he almost ripped my head off." He quickly explained some details of his flash, including the love letters from Ilsa to Casey.

"I'll do a little more digging on this Ilsa. But it kind of makes sense. Only a spy could go for a guy like Casey." She went to the main room and he followed her, watching as she typed a few search commands on a computer. The results were not long in coming.

"Well?"

"Ilsa's dead."

"What? But my flash…"

"It's either a coincidence, or this Russian agent took the identity of a dead woman. Casey's Ilsa was a photojournalist and died in a bombing in Grozny back in 2004."

"Oh man… that's why he got so upset." It all made sense. Nothing in his flash indicated that Ilsa was a spy.

-o-

Chuck finally got the chance to talk to Casey the following morning. Until then they had all been too busy with the preparations for the mission. All the others had been told the business trip cover story, although, as expected, both Morgan and Devon suspected the truth. Ellie had walked into Chuck's apartment and found Sarah packing a sexy nightgown in her suitcase. She also noticed that her brother's girlfriend had not yet bothered to unpack. Her side of the closet was almost empty. She didn't think much about it and instead wished them both a nice trip.

"Buddy, can we talk?" Chuck asked after their flight had taken off.

"What is it, Bartowski?"

"Look, I want to apologize about yesterday. I didn't have the full facts about Ilsa and…"

"Just don't bring it up ever again."

"Okie-dokie."

"Wake me up half an hour before we land."

"Roger that."

Alaska was a lot different than sunny California, so the team members changed into cold weather gear before landing. The parkas, gloves, boots and the rest were top of the line. Chuck still shivered when the door opened and walked down to the tarmac, where a car was waiting to take them to a hotel, where they would meet up with the Russian liaison team.

"Looks like we'll have to wait for them to show up," Casey said.

"I took a look at the arrivals board at the airport. Their flight should be arriving as we speak," Chuck replied.

*grunt* (we'll just have to wait then)

Casey had gone to the bar to get a drink when four people, three men and one woman, entered the hotel and headed for the lounge. Chuck immediately recognized all of them from yesterday's flashes.

"Um, Sarah…"

"What?"

"That's Ilsa and by that I mean _Casey's_ Ilsa."

"Are you sure that's her?"

"I'm positive." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Casey approaching, drink in hand. He tried to motion with his eyes, but Casey didn't notice. Only when he came up to them as Sarah and Chuck rose to greet the Russians did he realize that the liaison team had arrived. Chuck was already talking to them, having accessed the Intersect Russian language skills and had already introduced Sarah to them. Introducing Casey would be both awkward and entertaining.

"And last but not least, Colonel John Casey," he said. The Russians turned to acknowledge his presence and both Casey and the Russian woman froze.

"Ilsa!"

"Sugar Bear?"

"They know each other?" The question came from the senior Russian agent and was directed at Chuck.

"Apparently they do." He resisted the temptation to add 'intimately' to the sentence.

"Gentlemen, welcome to the US," Casey said politely. "Now, if you'll excuse us for a second…" He grabbed Ilsa by the arm and took her aside.

"Photojournalist, huh? I thought you were dead!"

"Like you really were an energy consultant," she replied in her slightly accented English. "I did what I had to do. One of my informers had been compromised and I had to disappear. I did it to protect you, too. With me believed dead, no one would be coming after you to find me. So, I guess you were after the terrorists' foreign associates back then, right?"

"We had information that an Al Qaeda cell was working with Chechen terrorists, yes."

"I hope you found whoever you were looking for."

"I did and made them pay for everything."

"Including my 'death', I suppose."

"Yes."

"Let's go back to the others. It's not polite to leave them waiting. We can talk more, but later."

"Agreed." They rejoined the others and the two teams went upstairs to Casey's room for their first planning session.

"According to our information, the aircraft has been taken to a deserted airstrip, where there is at least one hangar left standing from World War Two."

"It's truly in the middle of nowhere," Viktor Fedorov, the senior agent, said after looking at the point on the map Casey was indicating. "How heavily guarded is it?"

"It doesn't have to be heavily guarded. No one in their right mind would go out there and the place is accessible only by air, anyway."

"I wonder how they managed to get it there," Chuck mused aloud.

"They did it easily enough, I suppose," Constantin Bogdanov, the Kamov representative, replied. "They must have reassembled it at a remote location near the coast and flown it there. The plane is equipped with high-lift devices and thrust vectoring offering excellent short field performance. It can take off from a grass field, although I think they must have used a stretch of road."

"Thanks."

"You are welcome. I would have flown it myself had it not been stolen. What about the recovery effort?"

"We'll try to get it back intact, but under no circumstance will they be allowed to use it. The Air Force will have a couple of fighters from Elmendorf on alert, just in case."

"Yes, better to destroy it than allow Volkoff and his friends to use it against us. But I must caution you, it's a very difficult target for a fighter aircraft, unless you catch it on the ground."

"John, how are we going to get there?" Ilsa asked.

"By plane, of course," replied Casey.

"They have radar," Chuck remarked.

"If I may make a suggestion," Pavel Oshkin, the youngest Russian agent, said, "We can fly as close as possible to the airstrip and use a sno-cat to cover the remaining distance."

"This could work," Sarah agreed.

"I'll see what I can arrange," Casey said. "We'll reconvene here tomorrow at 0800."

Ilsa stayed after all the others had left. She wanted to talk to Casey.

"So, how have you been, John?"

"I'm doing OK."

"We had a good time after we first met in Rome, remember?"

"How can I forget? But things have changed."

"There is another woman in your life now. I can understand."

"It's not so simple." He gave her a rueful smile. "I recently discovered that I have a daughter."

"You met her?"

"Yes, but she doesn't yet know that I'm her father." He told her the basics about how he became a father, without going into details. In the end he showed her a picture of Alex.

"She's beautiful."

"Thank you."

"She doesn't look like you."

"Fortunately, she took after her mother."

"Tell them. Tell them that you are still alive and that you care for them, John."

"Everyone's telling me that…"

"It's the right thing to do."

"I'm still trying to figure out how."

"Well, I have to be going. See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight."

In the morning Casey had everything figured out and had even made arrangements with the Air Force for assistance. Plus, he had found them a suitable vehicle. After a quick briefing, they all piled into a rental minivan and headed for the Air Force base. A C-130 was waiting for them on the tarmac. They would change into arctic combat gear aboard the plane.

"Wow, you have been thorough," Chuck told Casey, admiring the tracked over snow vehicle secured in the cargo hold.

"I was lucky to find her. She's a thoroughly modernized ex-Marine Corps M76 Otter amphibious vehicle, perfect for the mission. I rented her from a private company. Buckle up, we're about to take off."

The flight was completely uneventful, and at one point Ilsa remarked that Chuck and Sarah seemed to be very close. Casey just rolled his eyes. Privately, he was glad that his partners had hooked up. Their performance had not been compromised and, if anything, the unresolved tension that had previously existed between them had been potentially detrimental to team performance, but the danger had now been eliminated.

The pilot would fly a roundabout route to disguise their intentions, so they had plenty of time to change and check their gear. Five minutes from landing, the crew instructed their passengers to return to their seats and buckle up again. Casey helped the loadmaster check the tie downs of the Otter first. The landing zone had been carefully selected to be able to support the four-engine transport. As soon as it was on the ground, the rear cargo ramp was lowered and Casey carefully drove the vehicle off. When everyone was clear, he gave the thumbs-up to the crew and the plane turned into the wind and took off again.

"Does this thing come with a radio?" Chuck asked ten minutes into the drive.

"Idiot," Casey muttered. "OK, here's the deal," he said aloud, making himself heard over the roar of the Otter's turbo diesel engine. "There is a Special Forces team already on the way to take up positions around the airstrip. They'll be waiting for our signal to move in on the hostiles, after we identify Ring or Volkoff operatives and attempt to secure the aircraft. If we fail, they'll call in an airstrike. We'll have to hike the last couple of miles, lest they hear this beast coming. Questions?" There were none.

Casey was carefully driving the Über-Herder, as Chuck, who was navigating, had named it on account of its red and white paint scheme, which reminded him of the diminutive cars he'd been driving as a Buy More employee. Sarah had laughed heartily when he explained it to her. The old Pontiac made vehicle had been brought up to the latest standard. In addition to the new and powerful diesel, it had a state of the art GPS system and a cabin heater that made wearing parkas unnecessary. Frankly, none of them wanted to leave the warm comfort of the reupholstered cabin.

"Watch it, we're coming up on a stream," Chuck warned.

"We'll ford it," Casey said confidently. "This thing can also swim, just in case you forgot, Moron." He found a reasonably gentle slope on the bank and shifted to low gear before slowly steering the Otter into the stream. It was not too deep and the other side was not steep either. Once clear, he once again shifted up and mashed down the accelerator pedal. Finally, the GPS told them that they had arrived at their intended destination.

"Suit up, this is our stop," Chuck announced. Their cold weather gear on, they stepped out on the snowy ground. "This way," Chuck added, after consulting his portable GPS device. Sarah took point while the rest followed in a single file. Walking through knee-deep snow wasn't easy, but they covered the two miles to the target fairly quickly.

"Do you see anyone?" Ilsa asked. She was covering their rear, while Chuck, Casey and Viktor were watching the airstrip from a convenient vantage point.

"Nope."

"I can't really blame them. Who in their right mind would be out in the cold?" Chuck observed.

"There is smoke coming from both the hangar and the shack next to it," Viktor said. "Their security is nonexistent. They clearly do not expect anyone dropping in on them."

"This kind of complacency is going to cost them," Casey said. He observed the area for a while longer, planning an approach and briefly discussed it with Viktor.

"I got movement, ten o'clock, at approximately five hundred meters," Ilsa said suddenly.

"The Special Forces team has arrived," Casey concluded after a quick look with his field glasses. He raised the team leader on the secure comms and gave him a run down on the situation. Then he turned to his team. "Those guys are going to cover our backs and provide support should we have to get outta here fast. Lock and load, the party's about to begin. Follow me and keep your eyes open."

They had barely gone seventy meters when the door to the shack opened and they had to hit the deck as one man came out and casually observed the scenery. He leisurely marched to a sno-cat and took something from the baggage hold before hurrying back to the warmth of the shack. The team breathed a collective sigh of relief. Chuck ran up to Casey.

"I identified this guy. He's one of Volkoff's torpedoes."

"He's what?"

"A hitman. What, haven't you seen old gangster movies?"

"I know him, too," Ilsa added. "I was on a joint operation with the French Secret Service last year and we almost managed to get this guy."

"Casey, I think we're close enough to get a reliable read on the thermal imager from inside the hangar," Sarah said.

"It's empty," Casey said a minute later. "I have a heat signature from a generator and a heater, but not from people."

"Are you pondering what I'm pondering?" Chuck asked with a mischievous tone in his voice.

"We can subdue them and recover the plane. I suggest we secure the hangar and have the Special Forces deal with the people in the shack," Viktor said.

Getting to the hangar was easy. The bad guys had also had the presence of mind to clear both the main and personnel doors of moss and other vegetation that had grown around them over the years. The smaller door swung silently open on its well oiled hinges allowing Casey, Sarah, Viktor and Pavel to slip inside, guns at the ready. Chuck, Ilsa and Constantin followed them, closing the door behind them.

"She's so beautiful," Chuck cooed, seeing the menacing black painted, sharkmouthed, red star adorned aircraft, the number 01 painted on the fuselage in white-bordered blue digits, sitting in the middle of the hangar bathed in light from the overhead halogen lamps.

"Shit, she's loaded for bear," Casey said. In addition to a pair of drop tanks, the Kamov carried two guided missile six-packs, four rocket pods and two air to air missiles. More weapons were neatly arranged on their trailers nearby. An auxiliary power unit serving as an external starter and a hydraulics test stand were plugged in. Suddenly, an urgently speaking voice came through his headset.

"Sir, an aircraft is approaching!"

"Identify it!" Casey promptly replied.

"Sir, it's a Twin Otter bush plane."

"Fuck!"

"What is it, Casey?" Sarah asked.

"It looks like the clients are flying in for the demonstration."

"We have to do something, now! Can you fly, Agent Carmichael?" Constantin asked.

"Yes," Chuck replied without thinking. His inner desire to get the chance to fly the Jet Shark had caused a flash just minutes earlier.

"Good. I'll help you with the preflight checklist and the start-up. Colonel, the moment the other aircraft is off the runway, hit the door switch. Carmichael, go the second the doors open."

"What about you guys?"

"No problem, we'll go out the back," Sarah said reassuringly.

"Be careful."

"You concentrate on flying this thing."

Constantin was frantically checking the exterior of the jet, removing safeties and protective covers, while Chuck was strapping himself into the ejection seat after putting on a g-suit and a helmet. Moving next to Chuck, he talked him through the engine start-up procedure. Then, he stood by the generator.

"Start the engines on my signal! Three… Two… One… Now!" The number one engine whined as it spooled up and then started running smoothly, followed by engine number two.

"All green," Chuck yelled. Constantin disconnected the umbilical cables and hoses from the external support equipment. Casey got the OK from the Ranger team leader and hit the door switch.

"Go! Go! Go!"

Chuck shoved the throttles forward and the Jet Shark lurched and started rolling out of the hangar. Once clear of the jet blast, the others ran out the back door, after closing the main doors. The bad guys were clearly surprised to see the attack jet charging out of its nest and racing to the runway. Chuck kept an eye on the wind sock, so that he could position the aircraft to take off into the wind. He was already on the take off run before anyone could react.

"Guys, talk to me," he said on the prearranged frequency when finally airborne.

"Chuck! How are you doing?"

"She flies like a dream!"

"The Rangers are moving in."

"The bad guys are making a break for their plane. They didn't reckon on me!" He wrenched the jet into a tight turn and lined up the nose with the taxiing aircraft on the ground. "Weapons hot, laser rangefinder on, sight set for air-to-ground," he muttered. Pulling up slightly, he fired a couple of rockets into the runway, as a warning shot, hoping to convince the pilot of the bush plane to abort his take off attempt. The Twin Otter continued and was turning into the wind when the Jet Shark's thirty millimeter 2A72 cannon barked and sent a stream of armor piercing shells towards the target. Chuck had deliberately refrained from switching the feed to high explosive rounds, as they wanted to take them alive for questioning. The tungsten carbide penetrators turned the twin turboprop's port engine to scrap. Its pilot cut the power and jumped out, followed by his passengers.

"Good job, Chuck!" Casey yelled over the radio.

"They are scattering like roaches! That's right, run motherfuckers! The exterminators are here!" Chuck yelled exuberantly and performed a victory roll followed by some more aerobatics.

-o-

A couple of days later the Russians went home, taking the Jet Shark with them. Both the Kamov Company and the Russian Federation commended the three American agents for their professionalism, the Director of the FSB awarding them commemorative medals. A Kamov executive offered them a reward, which they donated to wildlife preservation projects.

"What are you thinking, Chuck?" Sarah asked, sitting next to him in the luxurious interior of the Citation X business jet taking them back to Burbank. Traveling in style was a congratulatory gift from General Beckman and Director Graham.

"I'm happy it's all over now. It was a good mission."

"It was, in every respect," she said, referring to the nights they spent together in their hotel.

*disgusted grunt from a nearby seat*

"Smile, buddy, you had a chance to reconnect with an old friend."

"Stow it, Bartowski."

-o-

"Dude, give me the good news," Morgan said. He had driven to the airport in the Crown Vic to pick them up. Chuck had called him beforehand and told him where to find the keys for Casey's car.

"Business was good up there, but it was really cold. Man, it's nice to be home again."

"Come on, we don't want to be late. Ellie's cooking as we speak." The last statement had everyone drooling.

* * *

**A/N:** For this chapter I used the material I had originally written for number 22. The V-80 and its descendants the Ka-50/52 are real. The V-150 is a figment of my twisted aviation enthusiast's imagination, lol.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: **I decided not to keep you guys waiting for an update too long. Be warned, you may find some scenes rather unrealistic, but I did it consciously, preferring to make them lean more towards comedy. In any case, some explanations were added to make them more believable. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 24 – ****Viva La Muerte!**

Chuck dropped into his chair and sighed. It was going to be a very long day. The reason? Sarah's psycho mode had been reigning supreme all morning. Not that he blamed her. On the contrary, being the loving boyfriend he was, he understood her. Hell, he'd even sought Ellie's expert advice on the matter. Just ride it out, his sister had said. With a normal girl it might be a tad easier, but Sarah was by no means a normal girl. OK, physiologically she was as normal as they come, which was part of the problem: It was one of _those_ days.

Sarah, in the meantime, was in her office, using the dartboard for its originally intended purpose: as a target for her knives. She needed an outlet for her frustrations (only partially attributed to PMS) and throwing knives at the dartboard with frightening precision was more acceptable than doing the same to a certain petite brunette who worked for a company Orion had a standing contract with.

_Brunettes_, she fumed. _First it was Lou, then Alexis and now Hannah_. She'd deliberately left Jill off of the list. Sydney had not made a move on Chuck, so she didn't bother with her either. But, in her opinion, Hannah had been acting too friendly towards HER Chuck. _Who does this skank think she is? He's got a girlfriend, namely me, and she shamelessly flirts with him, right in front of ME!_ She was so mad that she didn't hear Chuck knock on her door, so his entrance into her office visibly startled her.

"Jeez, Chuck, next time knock!"

"I did knock, Sarah. How are you doing?"

"I'll be a lot better once I take this Hannah to one of the Company dump sites," she replied acidly.

"What do you mean…? Crap! You want to kill her? Why?"

"I saw her put the moves on you," she said accusingly. He took a deep breath and knelt by her chair.

"Sarah, you are the only woman in the whole world I have eyes for. As for Hannah, I think you misunderstood. True, she was attracted to me in the past, but we're just friends now. She knows I have a girlfriend and she respects that. Besides, she has a boyfriend, who is a very nice guy. I know, I've met him a few times." That seemed to appease Sarah. Chuck had an amazing ability of managing to make her feel good all the time.

"Thank you."

"You are welcome. How are you feeling now?"

"I feel like I've been hit by Casey's Crown Vic, an eighteen-wheeler and a freight train in that order."

"You should have taken Ellie's advice and stayed at home."

"Nonsense. I can do my job." She rose and immediately doubled over, groaning in pain. Ellie's diagnosis was that it had been partially caused by the abrupt change in Sarah's workout habits. For the past couple of weeks she had intensified her routine significantly and her body was protesting about it in its own way.

"OK, that's enough. Morgan!" Chuck yelled as he scooped his sobbing girlfriend up in his arms.

"You called, buddy?"

"Yeah, please open the access to Castle."

"OK. How's Sarah doing?"

"She needs a good rest."

Downstairs, he gently deposited her on a bed in the guest quarters, helped her change into a T-shirt and sweatpants and tucked her in. As a final touch, he put her under using a low dosage tranq dart. The next thing she knew was Stephen gently shaking her awake.

"Sarah, wake up."

"Mmmmh? Stephen, what's going on?"

"Nothing, you've just been out of it for a couple of hours and Chuck asked me to check up on you. How are you feeling?"

She tried to get up to a sitting position and groaned loudly. "The same, only now a herd of stampeding elephants just ran me over."

"You look terrible. I can take you upstairs and call Ellie."

"Thanks, but it won't be necessary. Ow! Damn, that hurt!"

"I'm calling Ellie," Stephen said and left the room. He could not stand to see Sarah suffer any more than his son could. When he returned, Sarah already had her business suit back on. "Come on," he said and supported her on the way to the secret elevator.

"Dad? Sarah? How is she doing?" Chuck asked.

"She's not doing any better, son. I called Ellie and she'll be here soon to do what she can. Go make her a cup of tea, I think it'll help." Together, they lowered her on her office couch and then Chuck ran to the lounge to make the tea. He was still comforting her and coaxing her into drinking it when Ellie arrived. She summarily dismissed her brother and gave Sarah a thorough examination.

"Sarah, I told you a million times, intense physical activity can affect your cycle, so you can't say that you hadn't been warned. How are things here at work?"

"Hectic," Sarah answered.

"Hectic, meaning that you are under more stress than usual, which exacerbated the symptoms, huh? Here, take some Ibuprofen. I'm also prescribing a good rest. I'm taking you home."

"Ellie, I can stay here and work, really."

"Is that so?" Ellie poked Sarah in the abdomen with a finger.

"Argh! Did you have to do that?"

"You're coming with me and I'm not taking no for an answer. Chuck!"

"You called, sis?"

"I'm taking Sarah home. She's in no condition to work."

"I tried to send her home before, but she wouldn't listen to me."

"Listen to this, Charles Irving Bartowski," Sarah snarled, grabbing him by the tie, "if you think that this brunette skank will be free to- mmmmm…" In desperation Chuck had kissed her.

"Happy now?"

"What skank is she referring to? Chuck, what did you do this time?" Ellie asked, siding with Sarah in a display of feminine solidarity.

"Hannah dropped by earlier."

"Oh," Ellie said and laughed.

"What's so funny?" Sarah asked irritably.

"I know Hannah. I met her again a couple of days ago, while she was shopping for a wedding dress. You have nothing to worry about, Sarah."

-o-

"Bartowski, I'm back," Casey announced. He had been out working on his cover job.

"Nothing to report here, buddy," Chuck replied. "I did the dailies and sent the results."

"Good. Where is Walker?"

"Ellie took her home."

"It got that bad?"

"Worse," Chuck confessed. "In fact…"

"Spare me the details, Moron."

-o-

In the car, while taking a still miserable looking Sarah back to Echo Park, Ellie continued giving her concerned boyfriend's sister/doctor speech and this time Sarah could not avoid it.

"There's nothing I can do to help about the job related stress. I'll leave that to my baby brother, but even I can tell that the company's doing great. As for the other thing, Chuck loves you, Sarah. He'll still love you whether you have a few extra pounds on you or not."

"He once told me that there'll be more of me to love," Sarah said with a smile.

"See?"

"But keeping in shape is kind of automatic for me. I mean, between your and Morgan's cooking, Casey's barbecues, Chuck's takeouts and Rocky Road… let's just say that my calorie intake sometimes goes out of control."

"You can still make a more reasonable workout schedule. Ask Devon to help you write one up."

"Okay."

When they arrived at the apartment, Ellie insisted on staying with Sarah until she fell asleep. She needed it, as she had been such a mess that she hadn't gotten much sleep during the previous night. Devon was returning from work when he saw his fiancée exit her brother's place.

"Hey babe, what's up?"

"Nothing, I just took Sarah home. She was a mess."

"Is she all right?"

"She'll be fine. It's just the monthly hell every girl goes through. Her crazy workouts, plus the job stress only made it worse. I told her to seek your advice on making a proper workout schedule."

"I'll be glad to help. Tell you what, I'll get started on it right now."

Chuck finally returned home with Morgan and Casey. Graham and Beckman had contacted them for some clarifications regarding one of Chuck's flashes on the daily intel package and had inquired about Sarah's absence. They had shown considerable understanding when they were told the reason she was not attending the briefing. He was a bit apprehensive of the condition he'd find Sarah in, but immediately relaxed when he heard laughter coming from his apartment. His girlfriend and his sister were in the living room together, apparently having tons of fun. Sarah looked a lot better, too. Sure, she was still a little pale, but nothing like she'd been in the morning.

"Ladies, we're back," he announced as he and Morgan entered. "Sarah, how are you feeling now?"

"I'm much better, thanks. Ellie and I were just going over some stuff for her wedding. Oh, and Devon made me a workout schedule."

"Stick to it."

"I will, trust me."

"I'll get started on dinner," Morgan said.

"What will you be making?" Sarah asked.

"I hope you're in an adventurous mood, because I'll be trying a recipe I found online. But I can say it involves tuna fish."

"I like tuna fish," Sarah and Ellie said in unison.

"No problem then, it's settled," he said and went to change before commandeering the kitchen.

After dinner Sarah and Ellie continued keeping themselves busy with wedding stuff. It was a welcome distraction for both of them. When they finally decided they'd done enough, Ellie went back to her fiancé and Sarah sat down to watch a movie with Chuck and Morgan, who until then had been playing an online game of 38th Parallel. It was so relaxing that Sarah did not need to take her Ibuprofen before getting in bed.

-o-

Just two days later, Sarah was fine again and after another day things were back to normal for her and Chuck, as a couple. OK, they were beginning to go back to normal, given Sarah's wish to make it up to him for the trouble she believed she'd caused, in every possible way. In her defense, she'd missed him, not his presence, he was always there for her, but all of him, during their short period of forced abstinence. So, in addition to occasionally taking work home, she was taking some of the 'comforts' of home to work. In short, she used their lunch hour for something else that day. Afterwards, Chuck was surprised he could still walk.

Sydney Prince exchanged pleasantries with a nurse and shuffled towards her room from the small library in the guest and medical section of the CIA facility she'd been moved to as soon as the doctor gave his approval. It was much better than the downtown installation and she had some freedom of movement, which she was thoroughly enjoying now that she was able to be up and about. She was still being watched, but she had a few perks since she was cooperating wholeheartedly. And she had Agent Charles Carmichael to thank for it. Frankly, all she wanted now was to tell the CIA everything she knew about the Ring and start over again with her life, leaving espionage behind for good. As it was, nobody outside a very select group knew that her real name was Sydney Prince. Even the Ring knew her as Andrea Lambert. Closing the door behind her, she deposited her robe on the bed and sat down in the comfortable armchair to enjoy the view and the new book she'd borrowed. After a while, she turned the TV on and started watching the news.

"_Moving to our next subject, Alejandro Goya,__ the outspoken Premier of the Caribbean nation of Costa Gravas is visiting Los Angeles to attend among other things a function at the local consulate. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the Premier, who has been the subject of much controversy since he assumed power following a coup which overthrew the previous dictator back in 1974, will announce sweeping political and economic reforms aimed at attracting foreign investment capital to Costa Gravas."_

The news story had definitely captured Sydney's attention. The name of the foreign leader did ring a bell. She immediately pressed one of the buttons by the bed. The duty nurse entered the room almost immediately.

"Is anything wrong, Sydney?"

"No, Angie, but I need you to have someone call Agent Charles Carmichael for me. I have some information for him."

"I'll be right back," Angie assured her.

-o-

Meanwhile, as Sydney was going through the proper channels to contact Chuck and tell him everything she'd heard about the situation in Costa Gravas, John Casey was about to head back to his apartment after a visit to the Buy More Plaza mall, loaded with his purchases. He had just opened the door of the store he'd exited and was holding it for an old lady, when someone bumped into him.

"Sorry," said a voice with a Hispanic accent.

"No problem," Casey said and turned to acknowledge the man. "You?"

"Now, that's quite a surprise," the smartly dressed man said. Then he turned to the beautiful woman who was accompanying him. "Mi amor, allow me to introduce John Casey, the man we know back home as the Angel de la Muerte. Señor Casey, meet Hortencia, my beloved wife."

"So you are the notorious Angel de la Muerte," she said and extended her hand. "I owe you a debt of gratitude, Señor Casey." She smiled at Casey's confusion. "I am referring to you blowing up that obnoxious Chihuahua my husband had, although I must say I was not pleased by your other attempts to kill him."

"The bomb was obviously meant for your husband, Señora Goya," he replied and took the proffered hand.

"You must be confused as to why I'm here," Goya said. "Well, times have changed. I'm here to attend my university class reunion and visit the city with one of the largest communities of Costa Gravans in the US. I'll also be giving a speech at our consulate the day after tomorrow. You may want to see it on TV. Hasta luego, Señor Casey."

Casey just stood there, completely stunned. He had been a wanted man in Costa Gravas for aiding anti-Goya rebels during the late eighties and early nineties. The moniker bestowed on him spoke volumes about his deadly efficiency. Except that Goya always seemed to lead a charmed life. Eventually, he shrugged it off and went to the parking lot to get the Vic and drive home.

-o-

Chuck thought that he and Sarah finally had an opportunity to relax as they cuddled together on the couch, watching an episode of Firefly. She smiled as she handed him a can of Sprite and positioned the bowl of freshly nuked popcorn between them. He was in the act of placing another DVD on the tray when his phone rang.

"Hello," he answered and listened attentively. "OK, we'll get on it, thanks," he said in the end and hung up.

"Who was it?"

"Sydney wants to see us. She said she's got some information."

"I'd better call Casey."

"No need," he said, seeing Casey in the courtyard. He ran to the door. "Hey, Casey, duty calls."

"Gimme a moment to leave all that stuff inside and I'll be right with you."

The three of them were in the Crown Vic, driving to the CIA facility to meet Sydney. Chuck filled his partners in as best as he could. He didn't know why Sydney wanted to talk to them, she had not told the agent who'd called them, but it had to be something urgent. They showed their credentials to the guards at the entrance and were admitted into the facility, heading straight for Sydney's room. She was waiting for them, having made herself presentable for the occasion, wearing a comfortable dress and a cardigan instead of the hospital gown and robe combination.

"I didn't expect to come here so quickly," she said and gestured towards the chairs she'd asked Angie to have delivered to the room.

"Well, it did sound urgent," Chuck said.

"It may be urgent."

"What is it about?" Sarah asked, holding her pen poised over an open notebook.

"Earlier today I was watching the news and saw that the Premier of Costa Gravas is here in LA."

"Yes, I ran into him at the mall," Casey said.

"You know him, buddy?"

"It's a long story."

"You can tell us all about it later. Go on, Sydney."

"For some reason the Ring has an interest in the political situation in Costa Gravas. I remember overhearing Shaw talk about it over the phone with someone, whom he used to address as 'Jack'. Basically, the Ring would for some reason prefer to preserve the current political status quo over there."

"So?" Casey asked.

"According to the news, Alejandro Goya is going to announce major reforms in a bid to make his country attractive to foreign investment capital."

"Like this commie bastard is ever going to keep his word," Casey snorted. Chuck looked at him but said nothing. It was almost like Casey had a personal score to settle with Goya.

"Goya wants to go ahead with reforms and the Ring won't like it, correct?" Sarah summed it up.

"Correct. I have a feeling that they may try something while Goya is here in the US. If anything were to happen to him, given the not so cordial relations between the US and Costa Gravas over the last thirty-five years…"

"We get it," Chuck said. "And we'll see what our superiors have to say about it. By the way, what do you know about this Jack you mentioned earlier?"

"Not much, just that he used to be an agent for an allied intelligence service."

"Can you describe him?"

"No, I never met him face to face. I didn't even talk to him. Shaw was the one who had dealings with him."

"OK, thanks Sydney. We have to be going now."

"You are welcome, Agent Carmichael. Have a nice evening, everyone."

-o-

"Too bad Sydney couldn't tell us anything more about this associate of Shaw's," Sarah said.

"You could find a way to get some information though," Chuck said.

"Me? How should I do that?"

"Contact a certain friend of yours, well, ours actually."

"You mean Eve? Good idea. She might know something. I'll tell Graham to pass the message."

"Good thinking, Bartowski," Casey agreed.

-o-

"Hey guys, what's up?" Devon asked as he saw them arrive together. "Did you have a busy afternoon?"

"We can't talk about it, Captain, it's confidential," Chuck replied jovially as he opened the door to his apartment. Awesome followed them all inside.

"You don't have to tell me the details, you know. On the plus side, I think I'm managing to keep Ellie in the dark pretty well."

"That you are."

"Hey, there's something on TV about Goya," Sarah said suddenly. They had left it on in their haste to go see Sydney.

"Turn the volume up, Walker."

"_The Costa Gravan Premier was rushed to the hospital a few minutes ago, apparently having heart problems. There is currently no word on his condition and…"_ Three phones beeped simultaneously.

"Let's go," Casey said.

"Is it about the Premier?"

"Sorry Devon, it's confidential. It's spy stuff."

Devon's phone beeped as well. "OK, I have to be going myself."

"Is it about the Premier?"

"Sorry, Chuckster, it's doctor stuff, confidential."

"Fair enough."

-o-

"We have a situation, people," Graham said, "one that can be potentially damaging to our international relations."

"You may have heard that the Premier of Costa Gravas was hospitalized today" said the General.

"Outstanding! Crack the bubbly?" Casey quipped.

"Your mission will be to make sure nothing happens to him," Beckman finished.

"General, haven't you personally given me the order to kill this commie crackpot on three separate occasions?"

"And three times you failed to complete your orders." The last statement had Chuck and Sarah snickering. Casey glared at them. "Things have changed a lot recently," the General continued.

"I saw Goya in a mall earlier. I wonder why his goons didn't go ape shit when they saw me."

"Why would they do that?" Chuck asked.

"I'm a wanted man in Costa Gravas for helping anti-government rebels. I spilled more blood over there than… Anyway, they called me 'El Angel de la Muerte' – the Angel of Death."

"Dude, that was the eighties."

"Ahem," Beckman said. "Goya has recently been pursuing a policy of national reconciliation. A general amnesty was given, which covers you as well, Colonel."

*grunt* (damn, I liked being the Number One on this two-bit dictator's Most Wanted list)

"We can do without the interruptions and the wisecracks," Graham admonished. "Goya was to announce free elections and economic reforms at the consulate tomorrow. This is in the interests of the United States, so he must be protected in order to be able to make the announcement. He's currently being treated at…"

"Let me guess, Westside Medical?" Chuck interrupted.

"How did you know? Never mind that. We need a copy of the Premier's medical records in order to determine if it was an assassination attempt or not. Procure those records by any means necessary."

"Sir, we have information that an associate of Shaw's, known only as Jack, might be somehow connected to the Ring's plans about the Premier. We were about to call and report it when we received your summons."

"Who gave you the information?"

"Sydney Prince did, sir. I strongly suggest that you ask Eve Nichols about this Jack. She might know something."

"I will call her immediately. In the meantime, you have your orders." The screen went blank.

"Right, all we have to do is apprehend the good doctor and get those records."

"Nobody is apprehending anybody, Casey," Chuck protested. "We're talking about my sister's fiancé here. He's family. We can talk to him."

"Guys, that's Awesome on TV," Sarah said. The doctors treating Goya were giving a press conference. Apparently, the Premier was fine and he'd just had a minor episode. The three agents watched in amazement as Devon answered a reporter's question in Spanish.

"Is there anything he can't do?" Sarah asked.

"Thus the nickname," replied Chuck. "Let's go, he'll be home soon."

Devon was humming to himself as he entered the courtyard, rummaging through the contents of his messenger bag for his keys. Suddenly, three strong pairs of hands grabbed him and hauled him to the side. He barely had time to let out a startled yelp before realizing he was in Casey's apartment.

"Sorry Devon, we didn't mean to scare you, but we need to talk to you," Chuck said.

"You didn't scare me. You surprised me a little. How can I help you guys?"

"We need to talk about the Premier," Chuck replied, motioning for Devon to sit down.

"Don't you want to debrief me in your secret base?"

"If it's going to make you feel better, this is our second secret base."

"Start talking, Woodcomb," Casey growled impatiently.

"What do you want to know?"

"Goya's episode, how did it happen?"

"I know it wasn't really a heart attack. His potassium levels were off the charts and I don't know how it got in his system. The important thing is that he's fine now and left the hospital for the consulate. He even signed an AMA form."

"He must have been poisoned," Chuck deduced.

"With succinylcholine most likely," Sarah added.

"What?"

"Suxamethonium chloride, it's a muscle relaxant and in a high enough dose it can stop the heart and lungs. It also explains the potassium levels," Devon explained. "Good call, Sarah. How did you know?"

"It was used as a murder weapon in an episode of my favorite show."

"Oh. And what show might that be?"

"Bones," she replied.

*grunt* (Yeah, she's turning into a Nerd, too)

"OK, thanks Awesome," said Chuck and ushered Devon to the door. "Go to Ellie and remember to keep your mouth shut. We'll take it from here."

"OK, Chuckster."

Once Devon left, they immediately contacted their bosses and filled them in. The orders they got were clear. Prevent another attempt on Goya's life at all costs. Graham added that he had talked to Eve and, although she had heard of a Jack working with Shaw, she didn't know anything else about him. Shaw had been very secretive about certain contacts of his, she'd said.

"OK," Casey said, "Goya will be at the consulate, where we have no means to keep an eye on him. It would have been easier if he'd stayed at the hospital."

"We've got his itinerary," Sarah pointed out.

"Following him everywhere won't be easy."

"I know, Chuck."

"Nah, we'll come up with something," Casey said. "You two go get some sleep."

"OK, goodnight."

-o-

In the morning Casey had gone to take out the garbage and buy some stuff from the bakery around the corner. When he returned, the courtyard was full of Goya's bodyguards.

"El Angel de la Muerte," said one of them, but made no hostile move.

"Hi," Casey replied nonchalantly and continued walking towards his apartment, key in hand.

"Buenos días," Goya said when he saw him. "You live here?"

"Yeah, what are you doing here?"

"I came to thank doctor Woodcomb for saving my life last night." He knocked on Devon's door.

"Yes?" Devon said.

"Doctor Woodcomb, I am in your debt," Goya said and hugged him tight. Ellie, who had also gone to see who was knocking this early in the day, was clearly surprised.

"I was just doing my job, sir. Allow me to introduce my fiancée, Doctor Eleanor Bartowski."

"Señorita," Goya said formally and kissed her hand. "I'd like to invite you both to a banquet at the consulate tonight."

"We have the day off from the hospital, so we are honored to accept."

"Excellent."

"Hey, what's going on?" Chuck asked. He had heard the commotion and went out to investigate.

"It's OK, Chuck," Ellie said. "The Premier just invited Devon and me to a function at the Costa Gravan consulate tonight." She turned to Goya. "Sir, this is my brother Charles Bartowski."

"You are welcome to join us too, Señor Bartowski. You can bring your wife as well, of course."

"Um, I'm not married, but I am dating someone."

"Excellent. See you all later today."

When Goya and his entourage arrived where they had parked their cars, they found Casey waiting for them.

"Generalissimo, we need to talk," he said simply.

"What could we possibly talk about?"

"Someone tried to kill you yesterday."

"I thought it was a minor heart attack."

"You were poisoned."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"I'm telling you because it's in the interests of both our countries to proceed with the reforms you are planning to announce. Plus, we don't want you offed on US soil. It's bad for public relations."

"So says the man who's tried to kill me twice in the past."

"Three times, actually, but that's in the past. Things are different now. I've been ordered to ensure your safety."

"I should be flattered."

"The organization that wants to kill you is very powerful. Last night they almost succeeded, and they would have had it not been for Dr. Woodcomb."

"If your government is as anxious as you claim about my safety, why don't you come to the consulate tonight and see for yourself how effective the security is?"

"I may take you up on your offer."

-o-

Chuck and Devon were checking each other's tux. They had been banished to Casa Walkertowski/Grimes by the girls, who had appropriated the other apartment to get ready for the consulate dinner.

"Chuckster, I meant to ask you, what is my mission for tonight?"

"Your mission is to look after my sister and let us spies do the spy stuff. Ellie would kill me if I let you get involved."

"She doesn't know about you being a spy."

"OK, let me rephrase that. She'd kill me for getting you involved and then she'd revive me and kill me again for becoming a spy in the first place."

"Sounds painful," Devon said.

"She'd do it, too. We're good to go. Let's check up on the girls."

"Wow," they both said when Sarah and Ellie came out into the courtyard. Ellie was in a beautiful black evening gown, while Sarah wore a silver gray dress. They had gone to the hairdresser's earlier and their makeup was perfectly done as well.

"They like it," Ellie told Sarah.

"Uh-huh."

"Ladies, shall we?" Chuck asked and offered Sarah his arm. Devon did the same and all four went to take Devon's Toyota SUV and drive to the consulate.

"Bartowski, Walker, if you can hear me, give me a click each," Casey said. Fortunately, they already had their earpieces on, so they complied. There was a valid reason for Casey wanting to remain unseen. The reemergence of the Angel of Death would be a hot topic of discussion and he needed to keep a low profile in order to better do his job and help protect the man he'd tried to kill in the past. The irony of it all was not lost on him. As for the others, Goya and Hortencia welcomed them heartily to the consulate, the latter thanking Devon for saving her husband's life.

Goya, resplendent in his Premier's uniform, walked to the center of the dance floor and picked up a microphone.

"Fellow Costa Gravans, distinguished guests, friends," he began, "as you may know, I had a minor health issue yesterday, which would not have been so minor but for the skill of my attending physician, Dr. Woodcomb, to whom I'll be eternally grateful. And I will mostly follow his advice to prevent a reoccurrence, but I won't give up smoking my beloved cigars." There was laughter all round. "Tomorrow, important announcements will be made, but tonight we just have fun, no? So, I'll ask my most trusted adviser and love of my life, my wife Hortencia, to have the first dance with me. Music please, maestro!"

The dance floor filled with couples. Casey, watching on the closed circuit surveillance and accompanied by the head of the Presidential Guard, expressed the opinion that Goya was unnecessarily exposing himself to danger.

"That's how the Generalissimo is, Gringo," his companion remarked.

Chuck saw the golden opportunity to once again mix business with pleasure and asked Sarah to dance. She agreed, knowing that they could be close to Goya that way. He smiled his megawatt smile and promptly flashed on dancing skills. They both gave quite a performance, just like the last time they'd danced together. The funniest part of the soiree was when Goya insisted on switching partners with Devon and danced with Ellie, while her fiancé was dancing with Hortencia.

"Good move," they heard Casey say. "Stay close to him."

"Who are you talking to?"

"My partners," Casey explained. "Now, let's go over the security arrangements again. How many men do you have covering the area?"

"I have a dozen men in uniform, plus some plainclothes located near the Premier. Metal detectors are hidden at the entrances and all staff members have been thoroughly vetted."

"Then why do I count thirteen?"

"Let me see."

Almost simultaneously, Chuck saw a man in the uniform of the Costa Gravan presidential guard make his way through the dance floor, probably heading for the ornate staircase leading to the balcony overlooking the huge room. But when he took a good look at the man…

_A clock tower_

_File on one Jack Artman_

_Assassinations attributed to him_

_Photos and files of victims_

_Description of the poisons he preferred to use_

_Mention of possible Ring affiliations_

_A clock tower_

"Sarah, I saw the assassin! He's in uniform, behind you, at five meters," he said urgently.

"We need to stop him without causing a panic."

"Leave that to me and just follow my lead. Tell me when he's directly behind me," he added and turned so that his back was to the Ring assassin.

"Now!" Sarah said. Thanks to the Intersect his move was so carefully planned and executed, that anyone watching would write it off as an accident.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Chuck said, as he and Sarah knelt beside the man. "I didn't see you."

"Moron," Casey grumbled over the comms.

"Help him and put ice on it," Sarah told a soldier who had come to help. He and those in the security control room listening stiffened. The 'put ice' part was a prearranged code, meaning that the person it concerned should be immediately taken into custody.

The soldier recovered quickly from the surprise. "Si, señorita," he said simply. Sarah followed Chuck and the soldier who appeared to be helping the other man to a back room.

"Take this scumbag to a secure room. We'll question him later," the commanding officer ordered. He waited for the band to take a short break and went to break the news to his boss. Goya and his wife immediately followed him to the basement. Casey was already there with Chuck and Sarah.

"You two are agents?" Goya asked.

"Yes, but please don't tell my sister," Chuck replied.

"It's the least I can do for you. What have we got here?"

"The assassin's name is Jack Artman, a known killer who usually poisons his victims."

"I want to interrogate him myself. Let's go." He led the way to the basement holding room. Two of the guards there snapped to attention when they saw their leader enter. Two others kept their AK assault rifles aimed at Artman, who was sitting in a chair, hands cuffed behind his back.

"Here he is," Casey announced.

"You thought you would kill me, eh? May I ask why?"

(silence)

"We know the Ring wants the Premier dead," Sarah said. "And we know that you work for them. Do yourself a favor and start talking."

"Why should I do that?"

"Because you were arrested on Costa Gravan soil. Ergo, you will be tried by a Costa Gravan court for…"

"Espionage and sedition," Hortencia said angrily.

"In Costa Gravas the punishment for both is death by firing squad. Think about it," Sarah added.

"You talk and the court will be lenient. At worst I'll commute your sentence to a very, very long prison term," Goya said. Unknown to all, Artman had managed to pick the lock on his cuffs. The evidence of the attempted assassination, the poison filled syringe was on a table nearby. An opportunity arose when a noise from the dance floor briefly distracted the guards. Artman lunged forward, grabbed the syringe and prepared to stick it into Goya, but Casey shoved the Premier out of the way and tripped Artman. The syringe ended up stuck in Casey's thigh, the plunger still up. The four guards immediately ganged up on Artman and subdued him. They would have killed him, but for an urgently shouted command from their Commander in Chief. Casey yanked the syringe out of his leg.

"Buddy, are you OK?" Chuck asked.

"I'm fine. It's still full, see?"

"You saved my life," Goya said. "You are no longer the Angel of Death, you rank with Dr. Woodcomb as an Angel de la Vida, an Angel of Life."

"Thank you!" Hortencia gave Casey a huge hug. Chuck briefly wondered if she and Ellie were somehow spiritually related. In another room, the three spies and the Goyas gathered to talk a few minutes later.

"There is an important question begging to be asked: Why does the Ring want you dead?" Chuck asked Goya.

"Your guess is as good as mine. It could be for a number of reasons, like my country's cooperation with your DEA and Coast Guard on drug interdiction efforts in the Caribbean…"

"I've never heard of that, sorry for the interruption," Sarah said.

"It's all done through Interpol. They might also want to plunge the country into a period of instability to get their hands on my missiles."

"What missiles are you talking about?" Casey asked, alarmed.

"I secretly acquired some Tochka, I believe you know them as SS-21 Scarab, mobile tactical ballistic missile launchers in the nineties. They are under a centralized control system, so to get to them they would have to take drastic measures, like killing me."

"What kind of warheads do they have?"

"Just the conventional high explosive fragmentation filling, I didn't need anything else. They were intended to be used against any invading force by bombarding the beachheads."

"How did such a sale go undetected?"

"I bought the systems on the international black market. The supplier was…"

"Let me guess: Volkoff Industries?"

"How did you know?"

"They are behind almost every nine-figure or higher deal that goes down," Chuck replied. "Did you meet Volkoff in person?"

"Yes, and I marveled at the efficiency of one of his associates, a woman codenamed Frost."

"It doesn't ring any bells," Chuck said. "I've never seen a file on this Frost."

"What are you going to do with those weapons now?"

"Nothing. I'll start showing them on the Independence Day anniversary parades and eventually expend the missiles on training."

"Alejandro, why don't you invite them to Costa Gravas for the National Day celebrations?" Hortencia asked.

"Excellent idea, my love, I'll do just that. I'm sure you can arrange for some leave time. Drs. Woodcomb and Bartowski will also be more than welcome."

"Thank you."

-o-

At the debriefing back in Castle Graham and Beckman congratulated them on a successful mission. They were shocked to learn that the Costa Gravan military had ballistic missiles, albeit short ranged, but concluded that they were no threat since they lacked the range to reach US soil. The assassin had been summarily and secretly extradited to the US and was now on the way to the Supermax. Goya would announce the reforms the following day. Casey was blatantly disregarding laws and regulations about smoking in government installations, contentedly puffing on one of the Silver Coronas Goya had given him as a thank you gift.

They all returned to Echo Park a little later. Thankfully, Ellie had not suspected a thing, although Devon was astute enough to guess what had happened.

"I'm beat," Chuck said and plopped down on their bed.

"You disappoint me, Agent Carmichael," Sarah mock-pouted. "I was hoping to celebrate another successful mission." She slowly peeled the dress off and let it fall to her feet, standing there wearing only a pair of lacy panties.

"The things I do for my country," Chuck sighed as she got up and kissed her passionately. Before they knew it, they were rolling on the bed tangled together.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N:** I know that I may get boring repeating the same thing all the time, but, once again, thank you all for your support. Hopefully, I didn't keep you waiting too long for this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 25 ****– Under the Jolly Roger**

"Bartowski!" Casey yelled, poking his head into Chuck's apartment through an open window.

"Chuck's not here, John." Alex had appeared in the hallway, wearing a bathrobe, hair wet and skin glistening.

"Oh, sorry." He respectfully averted his eyes, somewhat embarrassed. "I needed to ask him something. Is Sarah here?"

"No, they went out."

"It's OK, Alex, I got it," Morgan said, coming up behind Alex. He was also dripping wet and was wearing just a towel around his waist. Casey fought to keep his self-control and not shoot the bearded troll on the spot. "You can go back and continue your shower, I found the problem and fixed it," the worm food candidate continued, hefting a pipe wrench.

"Thanks!" Alex ran back to the bathroom, while Casey inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll be right with you, John," Morgan said. "Just give me a minute to change. We had a slight problem with the plumbing and… well, you saw what happened."

*grunt* (I'll be waiting) He hadn't caught his daughter and the Troll in the act. But then again… they had been seeing each other for a while now and there was every possibility they had consummated their relationship, considering how often she spent the night there. Hell, even the Moron and the Skirt were screwing like bunnies every chance they got and they had become a couple after Morgan and Alex. _Your daughter is happy and you don't have the right to interfere - yet,_ his conscience told him.

"I'm back," Morgan said. "How can I help you?"

"I needed Bartowski to help me with something."

"Aw, c'mon! It's their day off."

"I decided to take him up on his offer to install a software upgrade to my personal computer."

"I can do it just as easily." He disappeared to the study and returned with a bulging DVD wallet. "You only have to tell me which programs you'd like."

"Thanks Grimes, I appreciate it."

Meanwhile, Chuck and Sarah were out having lunch with Jack and Katie, at the Wienerlicious of all places. They ended up there because Sarah wanted to help her parents buy some stuff for their new place and Chuck had naturally suggested the Buy More. They had taken a table at a quiet corner and Sarah regaled them with hilarious stories from her brief time as a Wiener Girl, not going into mission related subjects, of course.

"So, Mom, you didn't tell me, did you find a place yet?"

"We did. It's a lot like our first house," Katie replied.

"Only this time we are to stay in it," Jack added, taking Katie's hand in his. She instinctively moved closer to him. Sarah made a face, but said nothing. Chuck was hoping that he and Sarah would still be in love after thirty years, like her parents, minus the divorce and consequent time apart, of course.

"Where is it?"

"Here, on Echo Park Avenue," Katie said, showing the spot on a map of the area in the realtor's brochure.

"You're kidding, right? This is within walking distance of our apartment!" Sarah said.

"Why do you think we picked it in the first place, darling?"

"Dad, that's wonderful!"

"We signed the paperwork today. Fortunately, your mom and I had enough money saved to buy it outright."

"It was a bargain," Katie agreed. "Jack called in a favor with a friend and he sent an engineer to take a good look at the property. Everything turned out to be just fine."

"Well, it doesn't look very big," Sarah remarked.

"It's not, but we don't need a bigger place. It's enough for the two of us, plus any grandkids, who will be more than welcome to spend nights with us." Unfortunately, while her father was talking, Sarah was taking a long sip of her soft drink. When she heard the last part, the Coke went down the wrong pipe and she started coughing.

"Sarah, are you OK?"

"Yeah," she choked out, "I'm fine." She shot her father a murderous look. Chuck did not realize what had caused Sarah's coughing fit, for he'd been looking towards the Buy More and had not really been paying attention to that part of the conversation.

"Anyway," Katie said, "I'd like to thank you guys for coming here with us today, as you really helped a lot."

"Come on, it was nothing," Chuck said modestly.

"Nothing? I know both of you work two very demanding jobs, but you still came to ensure we got the royal treatment."

"It was our pleasure," Sarah said. "Besides, we want to look good to Big Mike."

"That's right, honey." Chuck pulled her close. "You see, we are going to release at least one new game by summertime and we are fully intending to hold the event at the Buy More again, just like we did with the previous game."

"So, you had an ulterior motive."

"Daddy, you have no reason to complain. Anna, Skip and Marvin did a great job helping you, not to mention keeping Jeff and Lester away from Mom."

"I know, baby girl. But right now I'd like another corndog."

"Jack, you should watch your cholesterol levels."

"Honey, I am fine. Plus, I work out and I normally watch my diet. Being in the same good shape as I was when we first fell in love did not happen by accident. All that entitles me to the occasional overindulgence, I believe."

"Oh, what the hell… I'll do the same." Katie gestured for the Wiener Girl to come and take their new order. Scooter, the manager, was returning to the store after running an errand and saw Chuck and Sarah. He greeted them both cordially and when he jokingly asked if there were more games going to be released at the Buy More, he was astounded and thrilled to get an affirmative answer. The last time that had happened, his profits had skyrocketed and so he insisted on the meal being on the house and wouldn't change his mind.

"I owe you guys a lot more than just a lunch for four" This was his closing argument.

After lunch they all went for a drive in Jack's car. The destination was the beach, where the two couples walked on the sand enjoying the ocean breeze. They were almost at Chuck's favorite spot when Jack seemed to stumble and dropped to one knee.

"Jack, are you all right?" Katie asked. Instead of answering right away, he straightened his back and reached inside a pocket.

"Katie Miller, you have always been the love of my life, not to mention the mother of my daughters. In the past we were both so stubborn and selfish that we ended up throwing our happiness out the window. But, we have the chance to make it right, better late than never. Will you marry me, again?" He opened the box he'd been holding and showed her the ring it contained. Katie was speechless. So was Sarah, who had to hold on to Chuck for support, so big was the surprise.

"Jack… is this, you know, _our_ engagement ring?" Katie asked, her voice breaking. She'd recognized the ring immediately. It was the same one Jack had given her when he'd proposed to her for the first time so many years ago.

"It is. Well?"

"Yes!" She grabbed the lapels of his jacket as soon as he slipped the ring on her finger and pulled him up for a passionate kiss. Chuck and Sarah were watching with wide smiles on their faces. Then they moved forward to congratulate the soon to be remarried couple. Sarah wasted no time calling her sister and filling her in on the new developments. Needless to say, Carina was thrilled. She demanded to speak to her parents and told them to give her a call once they settled on a date for the wedding. She wasn't about to miss it for the world. As Sarah joked, Carina would have the privilege of attending their parents' second wedding after having been present at the first.

"Mom, Dad, you never told me, what happened and you got married after Carina was born?"

"Jack would you mind answering that?"

"Not at all, honey. You see, Angel, we were already engaged when we found out that your Mom was pregnant with your sister. Naturally, we wanted to get married immediately, but it proved impossible for reasons beyond our control."

"And as I wasn't about to go to my own wedding looking like a Goodyear blimp, we decided to postpone it until after your sister's birth."

"I see… Well, this time I won't miss your wedding, either," Sarah laughed.

"Charlie, I was wondering, would Stephen want to be the best man?"

"You can ask him, Jack. But I think that he'd gladly accept."

"I'll do just that the next time we meet to talk shop."

"Uh, excuse me?"

"He didn't tell you? It must have slipped his mind."

"What do you mean?"

"While you and Sarah were doing whatever you were doing the last time you went out of town, Stephen and I were discussing my continued involvement with the company. The last time I invested money in it, I got a hefty return. I'd be stupid not to do it again."

"You are most welcome to invest as much as you want, Dad," Sarah said. "We are rapidly expanding and we need the capital. Besides, you won't lose a cent, not when we are in charge."

"I know, baby girl."

"I want in, too," Katie said. "Jack, I trust you can handle it for me."

"Sure thing, sweetheart."

-o-

On the way back home, Jack and Katie insisted on having Chuck and Sarah come with them to take a look at their new house. Chuck also offered to help carry the stuff they'd bought at the Buy More inside. Katie had been hard at work planning some remodeling and redecorating. She showed them computer renderings of how the place would look in the end and they both thought that it would indeed be great. Having finally made it back to their apartment by late evening and enjoyed a light dinner and a movie, Sarah rummaged in one of her suitcases for some clothes.

"You can always unpack, you know. There is certainly enough space for your stuff in the closet and the dresser," Chuck said, standing at the door of their room.

"I suppose I could, but, come to think of it, putting my stuff back in the suitcases is kind of automatic for me. After all, spies are not supposed to put down roots."

"Somehow I don't think we are ordinary spies."

"You can say that again. Now where did I put the…" She continued looking into her luggage. "Ah, here it is," she said triumphantly. "But you are right, I need to unpack some day. I think I'll start now." She took a dress and hung it in the closet before stepping back and thinking about what else she should unpack.

"It's a start," Chuck agreed. "After all, you can do the same thing I do."

"And what would that be?"

"I always keep a travel bag packed for missions."

"Oh. That could work for me."

"Yes, it most definitely could. Don't hesitate to ask for help when you decide to unpack completely."

"Right now I'd love something to drink, I'm parched."

"Do you have anything specific in mind?"

"Surprise me."

"OK."

-o-

"It's done," she declared when he returned ten minutes later with his selection, a delicious cocktail of freshly squeezed fruit with just a touch of alcohol that Awesome had taught him to make.

"What?" The first thing he noticed was her outfit: just one of his shirts over her underwear.

"Ta-da! I unpacked! Before you say anything about having pushed me, hear this: I wanted to. This is my home, Chuck. You are my home. I even took your advice and kept a suitcase packed, because we are spies, too. See?"

"Let me help you put it away," he said, after handing her the glass with her drink. "What's that?" He was in the act of closing the lid when he noticed something in an inside pocket. It was a photo of the two of them.

"Like I said, you are my home Chuck. You make me feel warm, safe, no matter where I am."

"I love you so much, Sarah."

"I love you too. And this cocktail is great!"

"Thanks. It's Awesome's recipe."

"Come again? You mean he makes tasty stuff in addition to his abominable health shakes?"

"He does."

"I want another one. Better yet, make a pitcher. I could drink this stuff all night long. No, wait! I'll tag along. I want to see how you do it." True to her word, she followed him to the kitchen and lifted herself up to sit on the counter and get a better view, swinging her feet back and forth as they dangled above the floor. She had not become the best of the best without having a really steep learning curve, so she easily committed all the cocktail preparation details to memory.

"And… voila," he said, holding up a full pitcher. She smiled brightly and jumped on his back.

"Take me to our room," she whispered.

"Your wish is my command, milady."

Once there, he refilled their glasses while she booted up the laptop Stephen had given her. It was identical to the one Chuck had and it was the perfect accessory for an agent like her.

"Thanks," she said.

"What are you doing there?"

"I'm transferring the pictures we took today to my personal photo album folder. You know, I'll really enjoy ribbing Mom and Dad with those pictures. They were acting like a pair of lovestruck teenagers today."

"Sarah, you have turned into a real girl!"

"Frankly, that was not Sarah talking, it was Sam. Consider yourself lucky, Chuck. You got a normal girl, Sam, and a…"

"A kick-ass ninja spy girl."

"That one is Sarah. So, you get two in one."

"It's a good deal." He smiled widely and enveloped her in his arms.

"Hey, these are the photos of the four of us we asked that tourist to take."

"They look great and…"

_A seagull_

_Photos of a mega yacht_

_The file on its owner_

_A drug lab_

_An arsenal of weapons_

_Bundles of cash_

_A list of known and suspected associates and clients_

_A seagull_

"…Oh, no."

"Chuck, did you just flash?"

"I did," he confessed miserably.

"Tell me about it," she gently coaxed.

"See that boat here in the background?"

"Yes."

"It's the mega yacht Calico Jack. It belongs to one Jack Rackham, no relation to the 18th Century pirate John 'Calico Jack' Rackham, although the ship was indeed named after the pirate."

"And what does the Intersect have on this Rackham character?"

"On the surface he's a wealthy industrialist, pillar of the community and beyond reproach. In reality, he's up to his neck in a number of dirty ventures, drugs, weapons, counterfeit currency, you name it and he's in it. Did you know that he perfected the counterfeiting of the 500 Euro banknote?"

"I can safely say I didn't." She zoomed in on the luxury vessel. "It's huge. And the shape is kind of odd."

"The vessel is shaped like modern warships with stealth features. I guess the guy likes monolithic slab-sided shapes."

"At least she's not flying the skull and crossed cutlasses," Sarah said, after googling 'Calico Jack', the nickname of the pirate. Chuck plopped down on the bed and sighed.

"We have to report it, you know."

"I know." She focused on one of the photos showing the Calico Jack. "Does he have any ties to the Ring or Volkoff?"

"Again no, or at least there is nothing about that in the Intersect."

"Fine. Let's sneak out the Morgan Door and go to Casey's." She put a robe on, opened the window and checked the courtyard. Finding it empty, she stepped out and made her way to Casey's door, followed by Chuck, and knocked.

-o-

"Report, team," Beckman said. She looked at the display on her monitor. Casey was in his PJs, wearing a smoking jacket over them, enjoying a cup of tea from a mug decorated with pictures of guns. Bartowski was wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants, while Walker was in a short silk robe. Whatever they wanted to tell her and Graham, it couldn't wait. "Director Graham is on his way," she added.

"General, Chuck flashed," Sarah began.

"What happened?" She was always interested in the details of how the Intersect worked.

"Sarah and I were going over some family pictures taken at the beach in the afternoon and I flashed on a yacht I saw in the background." He sat at one of Casey's computers and uploaded the enhanced image of the Calico Jack he'd cropped from the family snapshot.

"Sorry I'm late," Graham interrupted after he was shown into the General's study. "I ran into some traffic. Carry on, team."

"Go on, Bartowski," Casey said.

"Well, um, as I already told General Beckman, I flashed on this boat, mega yacht actually, which belongs to the wealthy industrialist Jack Rackham. According to the Intersect, this guy is dirty. In my written report, I have included a summary of his criminal activities as included in the Intersect." He stopped talking and waited for their superiors to finish reading the files he'd sent them.

"Any ideas as to what he's up to now, Chuck?" Graham asked.

"None whatsoever, sir," he replied. "May I make a suggestion?"

"Of course."

"Try to see what the database of your Intersect computer has on him. I haven't gotten an update in a while and perhaps there is newer data that might give us deeper insight into the matter."

"Excellent idea, Chuck," Beckman said and furiously typed something on one of her computers.

"Ma'am, is this an Intersect terminal?"

"Yes, it is."

"I know it may be too much to ask, but can we get one here as well? If we were to be able to instantly corroborate my flashes with the constantly updated information in the static version…"

"General Beckman, I have no objection to it," Graham said formally. The General was thoughtful for a while. On rare occasions, Chuck's flashes had been misinterpreted, leading to some confusion and delays until it could all be sorted out. Having additional information on hand might reduce the chances of such misinterpretations happening again.

"I agree," she said finally. "The potential benefits of your team having access to both Intersects outweigh the possible risks."

"Investigate Jack Rackham and report any illegal activities you become aware of. We'll then refer matters to the appropriate law enforcement agencies, unless it's a national security matter."

"Yes sir," the three chorused.

"Colonel Casey, there is just one more thing," Beckman said.

"Yes, General?"

"Would you like me to send an additional member for your team, an analyst who will operate your Intersect terminal, thus keeping you all free for field work?"

"That will not be necessary, General."

"Please explain."

"General, he's right. My father can easily perform those duties."

"Better to keep it in the family, so to speak," Sarah agreed.

"If we have to bring another person in, I'd suggest Morgan Grimes," Casey added.

"What?" Chuck exclaimed.

"Are you sure, Colonel?"

"Yes ma'am, I am. Mr. Grimes has expressed a desire to assist us in every way possible. He also has potential as an analyst, logistics coordinator and the like."

"So be it, Colonel. I will expect you to train him in some basic techniques, however."

*grunt* (Excuse me?)

"You heard me, Colonel. Morgan Grimes is a diamond in the rough, very rough. But I am sure you can make him… sparkle." The General's smug smile was the last thing they saw before the screen went blank again.

"Great! Why me?" Casey lamented.

"Come on, Casey, he's already in the know and it'll help us to bring him into the fold," Sarah said.

"She's basically ordered me to turn that idiot into sort of an agent. Where's the fun in that?"

"Casey, buddy, you can both do it, just have faith."

"Yeah, whatever, Bartowski. I suggest we call it a night. Starting tomorrow, we have a new mission."

-o-

Morgan was walking with Chuck towards their parking spaces when his phone rang. The caller was unknown and his curiosity was piqued.

"Hello," he answered it.

"Mr. Grimes?"

"Yes?"

"I am Brigadier General Diane Beckman, of the NSA. I am calling to inform you that you are now officially a member of operation Bartowski."

"Please, tell me you are not kidding, that this is not a prank call!"

"The NSA does no do pranks, Mr. Grimes. You can thank Colonel Casey for this chance you have to serve your country."

"Well, sir, excuse me, General, ma'am, thank you, thank… She hung up."

"Buddy, was that General Beckman?"

"Yes. Dude, I'm gonna be working with you on everything, again!"

"Morgan, I understand how enthusiastic you are right now, but keep it down. Besides, until Casey has had the chance to give you some proper training, you'll be limited to analyst and administrative duties."

Even this had not managed to dampen the short man's enthusiasm, for he was beaming when he and his best friend entered the secret subterranean base.

"Good, the gang is all here," Sarah said. She had left earlier to go over some details of their current mission.

"Grimes, sit down," Casey ordered. "We are preparing for a mission and I want you to pay attention. As of today, your job will be to assist Stephen on the technical department, while learning the ropes of being an analyst and an administrator down here."

"Yes sir."

"I could use Morgan's help right now," Stephen said, popping up from behind a console with a headlamp on and having a screwdriver clenched between his teeth.

"Coming!"

Meanwhile, Chuck joined Sarah and Casey in planning for their new mission. Sarah had pulled everything she could find on Jack Rackham and compiled a comprehensive dossier. Casey even commended her for her thoroughness. Right now, their first priority was to find what their new villain was up to.

"The guy lives on his yacht," Chuck remarked. "It's reasonable to assume that he directs his criminal ventures from it. He has state of the art satellite communications equipment, and I'd say that he also has good encryption systems. We'll have to physically be on board to plant a bug. Remote monitoring won't work."

"That part will be easy. He's holding a gala on his yacht tonight. I'll see what I can do to secure us a couple of invitations," Sarah said.

"I wasn't able to find any blueprints for the yacht anywhere," Casey said. He had it built in Europe and I came up dry when I hacked into the shipyard's database. He must have taken the plans himself. We don't even have anything on the top decks."

"That's easy to remedy," Morgan said.

"Explain, buddy," Chuck said.

"Use the HD video camera you made. Sarah said she's a pilot. You can rent a plane, fly over the yacht, record everything and bring the footage back for analysis."

"Not a bad idea Grimes," Casey said. "Walker, are you up to it?"

"I most certainly am. Chuck, get that camera."

"OK." He ran upstairs to get it, while Sarah exchanged her business suit and high heels for a t-shirt, jeans, leather jacket and sensible low heeled boots in the locker room.

-o-

Sarah scrunched her nose, pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes behind her dark Aviators. The middle aged man who owned an aircraft rental business at Bob Hope Airport told them to pick one of the available aircraft. They would do the paperwork then.

"What do you think, Chuck? Which one should we take?"

"You are asking me?"

"Chuck, you'll be operating the camera, so you need to find an aircraft suitable for the task."

"Oh, OK, I see. Well, I'd go for a high-winger. Like… this one! Oh yeah, it's perfect!" He marched over to a Cessna Super Skymaster, an ex-military O-2A actually, painted gloss black with red trim. "This is almost exactly like the plane in Night Flier!"

"Huh?" Sarah looked at him questioningly.

"It's a horror movie, where a guy, who is kind of a vampire, flies to small airports and kills people."

Her reply at first was a very unladylike grunt. "But can we use it for what we want to do?"

"It's perfect for the job."

"OK then, we'll take it." She led him back to the office and signed the paperwork for the lease after showing the owner her commercial pilot's certificate. Chuck was impressed. He expected a simple private pilot's certificate, but Sarah not only had a commercial certificate, she also had multi-engine, helicopter, seaplane, IFR and examiner ratings. On the way to get the plane, she explained that she'd opted for flight training while at the farm. It had come in handy during a previous mission in the jungles of the Amazon Basin, on which she gave her boyfriend permission to flash. And he was definitely even more impressed. They filed a flight plan, for a recreational flight, went through the checklist and, once she got the go ahead from the control tower, Sarah took the Cessna up.

"What?" Out of the corner of her eye she had noticed Chuck in the copilot's seat fiddle with something.

"Nothing… you are just the most beautiful pilot I have ever seen." He snapped another picture of her as she sat there with her sunglasses and headset on. And another when she turned and smiled sweetly at him. Within minutes they were flying over the ocean. "There she is," Chuck called, pointing at the yacht as it lay at anchor. "I'll go get the cameras ready." He squeezed between the pilots' seats, no mean feat for his tall frame, and opened the cameras' carrying case. First he set up the tripod and then fixed the cameras on the mount after connecting the controls on his laptop.

"How is it going back there?"

"I'm almost ready. Fly on a course parallel to the yacht. OK, the cameras are rolling." He zoomed in on the ship. The slow speed Sarah was keeping allowed him to record every detail without the need for a second pass.

"What do you see?"

"I see a bevy of bikini-clad brunette beauties trying to lure me over to the Dark Side with their charms and tall drinks."

"WHAT?"

"Kidding, I'm just kidding."

"You'd better be. Do you know what kind of paperwork blowing that floating whorehouse out of the water would generate?" Her playful tone assured Chuck that he was not again dealing with the psycho side of her personality. Once a month was more than enough.

"I'm done here. I got good footage both on the HD and the thermal imager Casey gave us." (_You break it, you buy it, Moron_, was the stern warning he had gotten when Casey had signed the thermal imager out to him.)

"Roger that," she replied. He rejoined her in the cockpit and enjoyed a leisurely flight over the Greater LA Area while waiting for clearance to land. Once back on the ground, they quickly took the Porsche and sped back to Castle, entering through the Orion offices. They found their dads in the lounge talking.

"Hello Angel, hey Chuck," Jack said.

"Jack, Dad, what are you guys doing here?"

"We're just talking shop, son. Jack also asked me to be the best man at his wedding and I naturally said yes."

"That's wonderful news!" Sarah enthused and hugged the two older men. "But, if you'll excuse us, we have some work to do."

"Sure, darling," her father said graciously.

"Chuck, as for the other thing, no need to worry. I fixed it."

"You did? That's great. It'll help a lot."

-o-

Charles Carmichael stole another look at his beautiful wife as they sat in the speedboat taking them to the Calico Jack for the gala. Sarah was absolutely stunning in the red spaghetti strap dress. Her luscious tresses were pulled in a messy bun with some strands cascading down and framing her face between them. She noticed him looking at her and gave him a breathtaking smile before adjusting his bow tie. The previous hours had been spent watching the footage of the yacht Chuck had taken from the air, mapping out all possible escape routes should their cover be compromised. As Chuck had joked, the fastest way out was over the side, prompting an annoyed grunt from Casey.

Once aboard, they, along with the other guests arriving on the same boat, were cordially greeted by their host. Sarah had a miniature camera concealed in her purse, which she would use to map out as much of the yacht as possible. Chuck's own camera was cleverly disguised as a button on his tux. He snatched two champagne flutes from a passing waiter and offered one to her. They walked arm in arm around the swimming pool on the elevated afterdeck and looked down at the helipad located over the stern deck. A sleek S-76C++ executive helicopter was securely tied down there.

"Are you thinking of stealing it?" Chuck whispered in her ear.

"No," she replied.

"Good answer. It would take us too long to remove the tie-downs."

"But I would definitely want to disable it so that they won't be able to use it to chase us." The plan was to sneak back aboard the ship after the gala, find Rackham's office and search it for intel.

At one point Mrs. Carmichael excused herself from her husband and, following the directions given to her by a helpful crewmember, made her way to the ladies' room – with a slight detour to see where she could go without getting caught. Just in case she was noticed, she was walking a bit unsteadily, like she'd had too much to drink.

"Excuse me, ma'am," a crewman said from behind her.

"Yes?"

"The ladies' room is that way. You took a wrong turn back there."

"Thank you," she said and went the way indicated, clutching at a handrail for support. Her camera had recorded the details of the security control room the crewman had been in. In the meantime, Chuck was planning something else. He slipped something into the drink of a random guest. It was a chemical compound that would cause brief unconsciousness. As expected, there was quite a commotion when his victim collapsed on the deck. He quickly knelt by the man, appearing to give first aid – totally unneeded – and called for some of the crew to help him get the unconscious man to the sick bay and call the ship's doctor. His button camera captured every detail of the route from the afterdeck to the sick bay in high definition color.

-o-

The band started playing a tango after she rejoined him, and they could not resist giving another dance recital. To them both this was the best part of the mission. Plus, it gave them a chance to take a good look at many of the people present, but Chuck had no flashes. Morgan and Stephen, who were dutifully running the feeds from the couple's cameras through the Intersect terminal, also came up dry. Later, as they were leaning against the railing, enjoying some champagne, Chuck suddenly saw Sarah stiffen.

"What's wrong, Sarah, who did you see?"

"Check your five o'clock. I think I saw someone I know from a mission in Colombia with Bryce."

"Can he recognize you?" Chuck was immediately concerned for her.

"He's never seen me. Besides, even if he has heard of me, it's Eva Anderson he'll be watching out for, not Sarah Carmichael. I'm not even 100% sure it's him anyway."

Chuck turned and saw the man Sarah was talking about. Then he flashed. "You know him," he confirmed. "He just used to have a beard."

The man was none other than Ernesto Gutierrez, aka 'El Loco', commander of an ultra-violent FARC splinter faction in Colombia. His brutality had caused the FARC leadership to sever all connections with his group, as he had become an embarrassment for them. He had also vowed revenge upon the US for providing assistance to the Colombian government against the guerillas. According to the Intersect, he was financing his organization by hiring out to drug lords.

"It's official," Casey said when they briefed him on this development. "We need to find out what he and Rackham are up to. Can you follow them and eavesdrop?"

"Negative," Sarah replied. "Security is too heavy. We'll have to stick to the original plan."

"Roger that."

-o-

When Chuck and Sarah left the gala, they had headed straight to Castle to prepare for the mission. Casey had already acquired an inflatable boat with a powerful and well muffled outboard motor, plus some dive gear. There was only one problem: they were shorthanded, but Casey solved it in a unique fashion. He suggested taking Morgan and Devon along. Chuck strenuously objected to this part of the plan, but Morgan agreed enthusiastically, wanting to live up to Casey's confidence. Devon too agreed to participate, not only to help, but also for the adrenaline rush. Ellie was working the night shift at the hospital, so keeping it secret from her would not be a problem. Stephen would be providing additional assistance from the van.

"Sarah, are you sure you want to come along?" Chuck asked while putting on his dry suit. Among the information revealed by the flash was that Gutierrez wanted to skin the Andersons alive and feed them to the piranhas for all the damage they had caused to his organization.

"Like I'd let a psychopath intimidate me," she snorted. "Besides, I might get the chance to introduce him to a friend of mine," she said, pointedly playing with one of her throwing knives.

"Enough talking. Put these on." Casey handed each of them a pair of coveralls to wear over their dry suits. Morgan and Devon were also dressed in black, with ski masks on their heads. Stephen was more casually dressed. The plan was simple. Devon would drive the boat as close to the Calico Jack as they could get, whereupon Chuck, Sarah and Casey would go into the water and swim the rest of the way aided by individual electric underwater propulsion units. They were told to head for the shore at the first sign of trouble, an order neither Morgan nor Devon had any intention of following. They would not abandon the others.

-o-

Stephen parked the van near a deserted part of the beach. Chuck, Sarah and Casey stripped off their coveralls and with the help of Morgan and Devon manhandled the boat out of the vehicle, inflated it and attached the engine and its fuel tank to it before dragging it to the water. Morgan had also hoisted a small Jolly Roger flag on the short staff at the stern. Returning to the van, they took three LAR-6 military rebreather sets with full face masks and three Diver Propulsion Vehicles, plus their weapons and other gear, which they strapped on their bodies. Devon was very much impressed by the diving hardware as he moved about assisting them. Following a quick communications check, they boarded the inflatable, while Stephen went to the van and sat down to wait for them to return.

"That's close enough," Casey told Awesome. Their craft was small and with the engine covered in radar-absorbing material and thermal insulation it would be almost impossible to pick up on radar and very difficult for optronics systems. They couldn't take a chance however, of their wake, no matter how small due to their slow speed, being spotted.

"We'll be waiting for you guys," Morgan said as the three agents dropped into the black water. Chuck had no difficulty with this part of the operation. The Intersect made sure that he knew what to do, as if he'd been doing it all the time.

Underwater, they had low intensity lights to allow them to keep visual contact with each other. Casey led, using a diving computer strapped to his wrist to navigate, while Chuck and Sarah followed slightly behind and beside him. They reached the yacht with no problem and surfaced next to it. There was no way to climb the hull sides to the deck, and climbing the anchor chain to the hawsehole and then to the open expanse of the bow deck was out of the question. The only option was to use the stern ladder. Helpfully for them, a small platform had been built on the port side of the stern and a smaller ladder helped swimmers gain access to it from the water. They clipped their diving gear to the bottom rung and stealthily climbed on to the platform. Sarah and Casey were carrying suppressed MP5SD3 submachine guns, while Chuck only had a tranq gun and a waterproof case full of electronic equipment they might need.

Casey poked his head over the lower deck and noticed that there was no sign of life. The crew and passengers were all inside. He checked his watch. They still had about three hours of darkness left to go. Keeping to the shadows, they approached the after part of the superstructure and found the nearest security camera. Staying out of its field of view, Chuck tapped into its feed and managed to gain access to the central system that controlled all the cameras. To their relief, the cameras only covered the exterior decks and not the interior of the ship. Looping them was a simple matter. Once this task was completed, Chuck silently motioned to the others to follow and cover him as he led them down a familiar passageway to the sick bay. He'd deliberately taken them there, as a diagram of the deck layout was on the wall next to the sick bay door. Taking it from its holder, he paused to consult it before indicating the direction to Rackham's office.

It was rather obvious that Rackham wasn't expecting any uninvited visitors, even though one of his guests was wanted by the US, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Spain and Interpol. Gutierrez's mere presence on the yacht would have been enough for a warrant to be issued, but Graham and Beckman did not want to give him and Rackham the time to destroy evidence of their illegal ventures.

-o-

"What's that sound?" Devon asked. He and Morgan were laying low in the boat, keeping a lookout for any approaching vessel. With the black paint and no running lights the inflatable was practically invisible.

"I'm eating a carrot, dude. I get hungry when waiting." He held an open lunchbox out to Devon. It had carrots, some cucumber and a couple of sandwiches. "Want some? I made extra. And I have coffee, too."

"Why not, little man? Thanks." They split the food between them and poured two cups of coffee from the thermos without relaxing their vigilance.

-o-

Chuck easily found the main office and tried the door. It was unlocked. Rackham's overconfidence would be his downfall. With Casey covering them, Chuck went to the computer and started cloning the hard drive, while Sarah worked on cracking the office safe. When she opened it and packed documents, flash drives and DVDs into a waterproof pouch, she relieved Casey at the door. Casey then searched the desk, the bookcases and the cabinets, stuffing anything useful into the pouch Sarah had given him.

"I'm done," Chuck whispered, packing his gear. "All we have to do now is send the data for analysis."

"Good job, Bartowski. Next stop, the bridge." They reached it without encountering anyone. There, Chuck proceeded to connect a small black box to the automated control system and also copied the data from the navigation computer, in order to have a full picture of the yacht's whereabouts.

"How's it going, Chuck?" Sarah asked.

"I'm finished here. Time to get the hell out of Dodge. The bad guys are in for a nasty surprise."

"Let's go." They made it to the stern with no problems, sabotaged the helicopter and retrieved their dive gear. Casey was kind of disappointed that there had been no gunplay, but Chuck and Sarah couldn't care less. A few minutes later, thanks to the speed the DPVs gave them, they reached the boat and Awesome and Morgan hauled them, their equipment and their loot aboard.

"Take us back, Devon," Casey said.

"You got it." He gunned the engine and the small boat leapt towards the shore, the Jolly Roger fluttering in the breeze. Chuck rummaged into a bag and produced a bottle of rum.

"Here's to another successful mission, arrr," he said and took a sip before offering the bottle to Sarah.

"Aye, here's to that," she said and drank.

"Yo-ho-ho, sixteen men on a dead man's chest," Casey added, deciding to take part in the impromptu celebration and taking the bottle from Sarah.

"Aye, mates, aye," Morgan said. Casey passed him the rum and then it was Devon's turn.

"Drink up my hearties, yo-ho, a Pirate's life for me," he said, toasting his friends.

-o-

Before finally calling it a night, they drove to the local CIA office to return the gear they had requisitioned and hand over the evidence they had collected. Throughout the drive there and back to Castle, Chuck and Sarah were cuddling together in the van, much to Casey's disgust.

"You know, I'll miss the Black Pearl," Morgan said.

"Huh?" Chuck asked.

"The boat; the name was fitting."

"It was, buddy."

In Castle, Casey just stowed his gear and took Devon and Morgan home in the Vic. Stephen had already left, leaving the place to Chuck and Sarah. They took a quick shower together, changed into casual clothes and went home. They were too tired to do anything else. The morning found them sound asleep, snuggled together.

-o-

"Excellent work, team," Beckman said during the morning debriefing. "Thanks to your efforts, not only was El Loco and the members of his inner circle apprehended, but we were able to put a stop to all of Jack Rackham's illegal activities and obtain enough evidence to indict his business partners, suppliers and clients."

"The kill switch you planted worked perfectly," Graham added. "They couldn't get away when the Coast Guard went to board them. They, the Secret Service and the DEA send their thanks."

"Congratulations to Mr. Grimes, too," the General said and Morgan straightened with pride. "You did very well on your first mission."

"Thank you, General. I fully intend to continue working with the team to the best of my abilities."

"Right now we don't have anything else for you. Have a nice day." The connection was terminated.

"Well, we've got to be going," Sarah said, meaning herself, Chuck and Morgan. "We have a lot of work to do upstairs."

"I'm with you," Chuck said, hooking an arm around her waist and walking with her towards the elevator. "Dad, are you coming?"

"I'll be with you shortly, son. I need to check some things down here first."

"You know something, Chuck?" Sarah asked as they got in the elevator. "Too bad we didn't get to be the ones to take the Calico Jack to a federal impound yard."

"Why, what do you mean?"

"Think about it; Captain Carmichael, the notorious pirate, alone in the high seas with his wench."

"With me as Calico Jack and you as Anne Bonny, I seriously doubt we'd have made it to our destination on time," he said. "But I love you just the same."

"I love you too, Chuck." They kissed lovingly all the way up to the Orion offices.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N:** Aside from the numerous – and obvious – canon references, this chapter contains salutes to some of my favorite movies. One is mentioned specifically, but you might want to hazard a guess about the others. Alas, the only prizes I can give out for correct guesses are virtual cookies.

* * *

**Chapter 26 – Blast from the Past**

Chuck, Sarah and Casey shuffled tiredly into the courtyard of the apartment complex where they lived. They were all wearing grimy, dirty and stinking workers' coveralls. The top half of Sarah's coveralls was off and tied around her waist as she balanced a huge pipe wrench on one shoulder and held a drain cleaner tool in her other hand. Her blond hair was in a messy bun and her face smeared with grime. Casey was also carrying an equipment bag and Chuck a metal tool case.

"Guys, I have to say this," groaned Chuck, "we should never do that again."

"Mission's over, Chuck," replied Casey. "The plan went just fine."

"Yeah, except that your plan necessitated that we do actual plumbing and, for the record, none of us knows how to actually plumb. We're gonna burn these jumpsuits, right?"

"I second Chuck's motion. No more plumbing on future missions," said Sarah.

"Why, are you going soft, Walker?" Casey teased. "Nah, it doesn't matter. Beckman and Graham got the intel they wanted," he said, showing a bulging vacuum-sealed package containing their objective. "Bunch of nancies," he added derisively before heading to his place.

"Let's go home," Chuck said. "I need to shower a couple hundred times."

"Me too," Sarah agreed. "Maybe we can work on our… plumbing skills."

"Ugh, please, your thing gets more disgusting with every passing day," Casey said as he was taking out the garbage. Chuck and Sarah just laughed and disappeared inside the apartment through the Morgan Door.

Despite the fatigue of the mission, they still had the energy for a steamy shower together. Later, Chuck was in their room, while Sarah was performing the feminine ritual of using after shower moisturizing products. He changed into his usual sleepwear, a t-shirt and sweatpants, before settling down to wait for her to join him. After a quarter of an hour passed with no sign of Sarah, Chuck was about to go looking for her, when she entered, still in her bathrobe and carrying a tray.

"I got hungry and made some sandwiches. I hope you are also hungry. I made enough for both of us."

"I could eat," he said, licking his lips. He set up the small over bed table they had, and she placed the tray with the plate of sandwiches and the soda on it. He picked one up and examined it with a critical eye. Sarah had used the crustless bread he'd bought on the way home from work the previous day and a variety of cold cuts, cheeses, sliced tomatoes and hard boiled eggs, plus the necessary condiments. Biting off a corner and chewing, he took an expression of bliss. "Perfect."

"Thank you."

"No, seriously, I think you've outdone yourself this time," he said, greedily reaching for another.

"It was nothing."

"This late at night, it's a lot. I mean, look at this. You went into all this trouble to prepare a variety, while you could have just made a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and be done with it."

"You really seem to enjoy them."

"I hadn't realized how hungry I was. And they are so good, they would not be out of place at one of Ellie's parties."

When they finished off the sandwiches and drained their sodas, Chuck took the tray to the kitchen. By the time he returned, Sarah was wearing one of her sexy nightgowns and had already gotten under the covers. He smiled and sat down next to her. Then he rummaged into a nightstand drawer.

"Chuck, what are you doing?" Curious, she rose to her knees and tried to get a look.

"You'll see," he answered cryptically. "Ah, there it is."

"What?"

"Sarah, my Mom had left this for me to give to the girl of my life." He took her right hand and clasped a charm bracelet around her wrist. "That girl is you."

"It's beautiful… Thank you, Chuck." She kissed him lovingly and looked at the bracelet. She couldn't take her eyes off of it.

"Ellie found it yesterday in a box of old stuff. I had totally forgotten about it."

"Now you had to confess that and kill the moment," she mock pouted.

"Then let me make it up to you," he said and pulled her to him, giving her a searing kiss.

"Wow…"

"I love you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." She relaxed and allowed him to pull her into his arms.

-o-

The first thing Morgan noticed when he went to make his morning coffee was the plates, knives and the electric slicer's blade neatly stacked in the dishwasher and realized that someone must have gotten hungry last night. Then he saw a piece of paper with his name on it by the coffee maker. He unfolded it and read the note. _Morgan, we had a long mission and we could use all the rest we can get. We'll be a bit late at the office. Thanks, Sarah. P.S.: There are some sandwiches for you in the fridge_, it read. Smiling, he folded the note again and tucked it in a pocket. He would dispose of it in Castle. The first lesson Chuck had taught him about the spy world was not to leave any evidence behind. Sarah had left it in plain sight only because she knew that Alex had not spent the night with her boyfriend. For the moment, he would enjoy some coffee and Sarah's sandwiches.

Sarah opened her eyes slowly. The warm feeling of her body spooned together with Chuck's almost made her want to go back to sleep. She smiled when she noticed that his right hand was on her right wrist, the one with the charm bracelet on, while her left hand was on his wrist. Then she turned her head to face her boyfriend.

"Chuck, wake up," she said.

"What time is it?"

"Hmm, it's just after ten," she replied.

"Time to go to work," he yawned.

A few minutes later, they were both dressed and ready to start the day, after enjoying a cup of coffee in the kitchen. As they went to get Chuck's car and drive to work, Casey came out of his apartment.

"Good morning, Casey," Chuck greeted his friend.

"Bartowski, Walker, good morning."

"Did you have a good rest?" Sarah asked.

"Yes, how about you?"

"We're fine."

"Graham and Beckman want to debrief us in a couple of hours, so I suggest that we go over the intel we recovered last night and have our findings ready."

"No problem. If my Dad is there, I'll ask him how to run it through the Intersect software, too."

"It shouldn't be difficult. After all, they had been using it in DC with considerable success for quite a while."

"Walker's right. But we could all benefit from being able to properly use our terminal."

"Remember buddy, you also have to start training Morgan."

*grunt* (Why did you have to go and remind me of that?)

-o-

In Castle, Casey carefully cut open the package containing the recovered evidence. Sarah was standing by to help, holding a pair of tweezers, while Chuck would take each item as it was extracted, see if it caused a flash and then hand it over to his father for further analysis, by the Intersect software this time.

"How are you doing, Chuck?" Sarah asked through her surgical mask. They had taken all the necessary precautions to avoid contaminating the evidence.

"No flashes yet," he replied, using a pair of dental picks to carefully unfold a crumpled and still soggy piece of paper on a glass slate. He squinted at the printing. "It's a note giving directions to some place." He handed it to Morgan, who placed it inside a small oven to dry. Then they would scan and enhance it to restore the writing lost. The items that were in good condition were passed to Stephen, who was operating the Intersect terminal.

Graham and Beckman contacted them as scheduled and asked about the intel they had gleaned, after congratulating them on yet another successful mission. The Director of the CIA laughed heartily when he heard that they had pretended to be plumbers and done actual plumbing in order to complete the assignment.

"Did you get any results from the Intersect?" Beckman asked when they finished giving the inventory of the recovered objects. "Chuck?"

"No."

"No hits on the database either," Stephen said.

"We are still waiting for some papers to dry so that we can analyze them," Morgan said.

"Contact us the moment you have results."

"Yes ma'am." The conference ended.

"I never thought that forensics were part of a field agent's job," mused Morgan.

*grunt* (like you know what a field agent's job entails)

"Buddy, we need to be trained on the basics, at the very least, in case we can't have the proper support from analysts and other experts."

"The CIA field office is twenty minutes from here."

"Morgan, we are dealing with very sensitive information here and we need to limit the number of people who come across it," Sarah explained as she went to check on the drying papers.

"Got it. Thanks guys."

"Chuck, I think they are ready for scanning."

"I'll take it from here, Sarah."

"Let me help, dude," Morgan said. Together, they placed the pieces of paper under a high resolution digital camera, while Sarah sat at another computer to view the results of the image enhancement.

"Guys, we have a small problem," she announced half an hour later.

"Tell me," Chuck said.

"It's this one. They burned it and the writing is not visible, even on the digital photo."

"Bummer… Casey, is there anything else we can do?"

"Why, that noggin of yours hasn't come up with a solution?"

"We'll need equipment we don't have here."

"There is another way," Morgan said.

*grunt* (It'll be a stupid idea, I'm sure)

"Do tell us, buddy," Chuck encouraged his friend, ignoring Casey.

"We need to think like Hercule Poirot here."

"Are you thinking what I think you are thinking?"

"Yes, but we could try a non-destructive method first."

"What are you two talking about?" Sarah asked.

"Morgan got the idea from an old movie, Murder on the Orient Express."

"Oh, now I remember! But how are you going to do it without destroying the paper?"

"Watch," Morgan said confidently and placed the blackened paper between two glass plates. He then took a high intensity flashlight and turned it on, holding it under the bottom plate, after setting up a magnifying camera to record the results.

"It works!" Sarah exclaimed.

*grunt* (I certainly didn't expect that, good job)

"OK buddy, we got a good picture of the writing that was not obliterated by the burning," Chuck said.

"Who wrote this chicken scratch?" Sarah complained.

"Yeah, it would have been totally illegible, had the handwriting been any worse," Casey agreed.

"I can make out a few words though," Chuck said.

"Me too," Sarah said. "Looks like 'sign J. Something to LA for'. The rest is illegible.

"Who is this Mr. Something?" Morgan asked.

"Can't say exactly what the first letter is. It could be an H or a W, in which case the name would be Heller or Weller. Sign could be a part of the word 'assign', I guess."

"What did you just say, Bartowski?" Casey was visibly alarmed.

"I said that the name could be J. Heller or J. Weller, we can't be sure."

"I think it is J. Keller," Casey said heavily, "James Keller, to be precise." Hearing the full name, Chuck flashed. The Intersect told him that James Keller, former Colonel in the Marines, had been dismissed from the service for conduct unbecoming and was suspected of working as a mercenary, most of the time for the Ring. A person in one of the file photos looked very much like someone Chuck knew well.

"You knew him," he said.

"I knew him, all right. He's the one who recruited me for an NSA black ops team back in '89."

"He works for the Ring now. When he was dismissed, a friend of his quit the Agency to go with him as well."

"Who was that?" Sarah asked.

"Ty Bennett. Casey knew this guy, too."

"Bennett was my sensei. He taught me everything I know. I wonder why the General never told me about them."

"She didn't tell you because she knows you, Casey. She was afraid that you'd turn it into a personal vendetta. Am I right?"

"You are, Chuck. I would have hunted them both down."

"Well, I can't help on the whereabouts of Keller, but the Intersect gave me Bennett's address."

"Tell me."

"First we report it to Graham and Beckman."

"Do it."

"Are you going to be OK, buddy?"

"Yes."

"There is someone heading for the office upstairs," Stephen said suddenly. Until then he'd been diligently working on his terminal, trying to get more information on Keller and Bennett.

"I'm on it," Morgan said and ran to the elevator.

"Call our bosses," Casey told Sarah, but immediately paled. "Shit," he muttered.

"What's wrong?" Chuck asked.

"Keller knew everything about me, about Alex Coburn."

"Then he knows about Kathleen. If he gets wind that you are in LA… We need to protect her and Alex," Chuck said.

"Hang on," Sarah said. Her fingers flew over a keyboard as she initiated a videoconference.

"What do you have to report, Sarah?" Graham asked.

"Sir, we have a serious situation. Analysis of recovered documents indicate that former Marine Colonel James Keller is either in or heading to LA."

"I dismissed him myself," Beckman said. "He was a disgrace to the uniform."

"Ma'am, sir, there is something you need to know about Keller. He was the one who recruited me for the NSA in Honduras back in '89. He thus knows both me and the man I was before I became an agent."

"This is disturbing," Beckman said. "Your cover can potentially be compromised."

"General, there is more to it," Sarah butted in.

"Walker!" Casey warned.

"No, Casey, we need to say that," Chuck said. "Ma'am, if you pull Casey's file, you'll see that until 1989 he was Lieutenant Alexander Coburn, USMC. Lt. Coburn had a fiancée, who was pregnant when, um, Coburn became Casey. But he didn't know it back then. We found out about it recently."

"There is every possibility that the Ring might try to use Kathleen McHugh and her daughter as leverage against Colonel Casey," Sarah added. "They must be protected."

"I agree. You are hereby authorized to use any means necessary to capture or eliminate Keller."

"We'll throw in Ty Bennett as a bonus," Casey growled.

"Bennett? What of him?"

"He and Keller are working together, according to Bartowski."

"We could kill two birds with one stone here and seriously inconvenience the Ring," Beckman said. "I'm putting all available NSA resources at your disposal. Use them well."

"I'll add the CIA's resources, too," Graham said. "Good hunting, people."

"Casey, how do you want us to proceed?" Chuck asked, after the conference ended. "After we make sure Kathleen and Alex are safe, of course."

"First we go after Bennett. Since Moron here knows where to find him, he's first on the list. Then I'm going to focus all my attention on that bastard Keller."

"Agreed," said Sarah. "How do we do it?"

"I'll go get my daughter. You two get Kathleen and bring her to my office, it's safe there."

-o-

"Hi John," Alex said brightly when she saw him walk into the diner. "Coffee, black and bitter, plus apple pie, as usual?"

"No, not this time, Alex, thank you. We need to talk."

"I'm listening."

"Not in here, I have important things to tell you, so we should go somewhere private. Can you get off work now?"

"Give me a minute to work something out." She disappeared to the kitchen and came out a few minutes later, dressed in casual clothes instead of her waitress uniform. All the time he was fidgeting, dreading her possible reactions at what she'd hear from him. "Let's go," she said.

During the short walk from the diner to his office, Alex noticed that he was deeply troubled about something. She was wondering how it concerned her but, as Casey had given her the impression of being an honest man, she didn't question his motives. If he said it was important, then it was important.

"Here we are," he said. "Take a seat."

"OK John, tell me, what's troubling you?"

"It's not easy," he said, taking a seat next to her.

"Just be yourself. Do it like you always do, be blunt and honest."

"That could work. OK, here goes. Alex, I'm not who you think I am."

"Then who are you?"

"I'm your father." There, he said it.

"What? No, that's impossible!" She rose and turned to leave.

"Alex, wait!" He grabbed her arm to stop her and she instinctively kicked him in the shin, elbowed him in the gut and whirled around and punched him in the nose.

"I aced self defense!"

"Please, listen to me."

"No! My father was a war hero and he died before I was born!"

"You were named after him, Alex, after _me_. I am Alex Coburn."

Alex was dazed. She'd never told anyone her father's name. Not to Morgan, not to Chuck and Sarah, and not to Casey. She sat back down and took several deep breaths. "Can you prove it?"

"I can." He reached for his wallet and took out the pictures of him and Kathleen. "This is me with your mother, a few weeks before I 'died'. We were going to get married after I returned from the deployment."

She took a good look at the pictures and compared Coburn's face to Casey's. She had seen Kathleen's copies of the photos many years ago and she now realized why Casey had always seemed familiar to her. The question she asked was only natural. "What happened?"

"Hey, Casey, we just got a message about…" Morgan said, barging in from the Castle access. "Alex?"

"Morgan?"

"What's going on?" Morgan and Alex asked each other in unison.

"You first, Alex."

"Well, I learned something big today. John is my father."

"I thought your father…" He went pale as he processed the information. "Wait, John Casey is your *gulp* father?"

"I am, numb nuts." He was enjoying Morgan's reaction, who stood rooted there in total shock, in a somewhat twisted way. It was better than he had ever imagined it.

"He certainly makes a convincing argument. Should I believe him, Morgan?"

"Um…" He looked at her and then at Casey in bewilderment. "Yes, you should. If Colonel John Casey says that he's your father, then he _is_ your father."

"And that brings us to the next question: Why did he fake his death?"

"You'll have to ask him. I don't know, Alex." He wrapped a supporting arm around her shoulders.

"Grimes…"

"John, please, I need my boyfriend's support right now," Alex said. "Care to answer my previous question?"

"Fine. I was approached for recruitment into a black ops team when in Honduras. It was a opportunity of a lifetime for me and I took it. What I didn't know was that your mother was pregnant with you at the time. Had I known, I'd never have left her."

"Black ops, so you're like… a spy?"

"Yes."

"You hurt Mom terribly."

"I know, but I figured that she'd rebuild her life."

"Well, there were other men Mom dated, and I suppose there were other women in your life, but I know you were the one for her."

"And she was the one for me."

"Why are you telling me all that now?"

"Someone, a dirty man, who knew who I was and knows who I am, is in town. He could use you and your mother against me, especially if he found out that I am here. And I learned that I had a daughter, you that is, after Thanksgiving."

"What about Mom?"

"Walker and Bartowski have gone to bring here."

"Chuck and Sarah are spies, too?"

"They are."

"Cool. They sure fooled me."

"They are a real couple, Alex," Morgan said.

"I know. I just could never guess about their secret jobs. So, John, are you going to tell Mom when she gets here, or should I do it?"

"How would you like it done?"

"You do it. I think Mom's reaction will be, ah, interesting."

-o-

While Casey was revealing the truth to Alex, Chuck was pulling up in front of Kathleen's house.

"Sarah, are you sure Ellie and Awesome will be safe?"

"Chuck, relax. Our address is classified so highly that only Graham and Beckman know it."

"What about all the World Send deliveries to Echo Park?"

"A special protocol was used. The deliveries were made by civilian employees, who don't know that the company is owned by the NSA and the delivery logs are then automatically doctored to erase any mention of the recipients' names and true address."

"That's a relief. Well, let's do it." They got out of the car, walked to the door and knocked. A middle aged woman, obviously the same woman as in the pictures Casey had showed them, answered.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

"Ms. McHugh?"

"Yes. Wait, you are Chuck and Sarah, right? Alex's friends?" She had seen them in some pictures that her daughter had shown her.

"We are. Listen, Ms. McHugh," Sarah said.

"Call me Kathleen."

"OK. Kathleen, you'll have to come with us, it's important."

"Why? Did something happen to my daughter?"

"No, Alex is fine."

"Then what's going on?"

"Let's go inside," Chuck suggested. "Kathleen, we need you to pack a bag for yourself and another for Alex."

"You are scaring me, Chuck."

"Listen, we both work for the federal government. We have information that someone who knows that you were Alex Coburn's fiancée might try to use you to blackmail a friend of his."

"What?" To say that Kathleen was shocked would be a gross understatement.

"Please do as we say and fast. It's for your own safety."

"Should I believe you?" Both flashed their badges. "I believe you." She immediately went upstairs and packed, the spy couple helping her as best as they could.

"Let's go," Sarah said. "I'll take point." On the way to the car, they saw five men entering the house and Chuck promptly flashed.

"Sarah those guys are with the Ring." One of them drew a gun. Sarah was faster. Shoving Kathleen out of the line of fire into the kitchen, she fired two shots from her suppressed Smith & Wesson, double-tapping the first man. Chuck had already flashed on martial arts and took on the three nearest to him, while Sarah deflected a kick by the last man and shot him at point blank range. Then she turned to see if Chuck needed any help. He didn't. In fact, he had the situation well in hand and soon all three of his opponents were on the floor, beaten to unconsciousness, the first one knocked out with a single roundhouse kick and the other two with a flurry of punches.

"I'll call a cleaner team," Sarah said, taking her phone out of a pocket.

"You guys are serious about this," a bewildered Kathleen said.

"We are. Come on, let's get outta here." Seconds later, they were on the way to Casey's office.

"Casey, we're here," Chuck said, pressing the doorbell button. The door buzzed and he pushed it open. "Where are you?"

"Back room," Morgan called.

"Did you bring my Mom?" Alex said, rushing to the main office.

"Alex!"

"Mom, are you OK?"

"I am, thanks to Chuck and Sarah. What's going on?"

"I'm not the one to answer your question, Mom, although I have an idea of what's afoot."

"Who can answer all that? And Morgan, what are you doing here?"

"He's working with us," a new voice said, a voice painfully familiar to Kathleen. As was the face of the man who entered the main room after Alex and Morgan.

"Impossible," Kathleen said, swaying on her feet due to the shock she got.

"Kathleen, it's me."

"You bastard!" Kathleen screamed. "You just up and died, leaving me to raise our daughter all by myself!" She marched up to him and hit him as hard as she could. Casey did nothing to duck or block the punch. Instead, he took her in his embrace and held her as she cried. "You have a lot of explaining to do, Lieutenant Alexander Coburn," she growled, looking up at him, the tears still flowing.

"It's Colonel John Casey now," Morgan corrected her.

"Why did you leave me Alex, John, or whatever?"

"I didn't know about our daughter. My application to join SOCOM had just been rejected and I was offered a chance to do something else for the greater good."

"I'd tell you what to do with the greater good, but you always did have an overdeveloped sense of duty."

"Yes ma'am, I have."

"Morgan, can you get me something strong, please? I have a lot to process right now."

"Right away," Morgan replied and went to get a bottle of Casey's whiskey and glasses.

"Thank you. What am I going to do with you, John? At least I like your new name."

"Mom, you can do whatever you want. Personally, I think I'll enjoy finally having my Dad around. Better late than never, as they say."

"I'm still mad at him," she said, looking at Casey through narrowed eyes.

"You have every right to be mad at me, but right now your safety is my first priority. Grimes!"

"Sir!"

"Show then to the back room and explain the operation of the emergency escape system as well."

"You got it. Right this way, ladies."

"Walker, Bartowski, come on, we've got work to do," Casey growled.

"Enhance your calm, John Casey," Chuck said.

"Look, I've had it with enhancing my calm. I'm gonna find this creep Bennett and enhance _his_ calm. And when I'm done with him I'm gonna direct all my attention to that bastard Keller." With that, he went to the armory.

"Sarah, call a tactical team and have them meet us at Bennett's dojo. We can't have Casey going over there half-cocked all by himself."

"Well, I'm gonna go out there, I'm gonna find Bennett and I'm gonna put him in a hurt locker. So, can you keep up with me, or shall I have to do it alone?"

"You know the answer, Casey. We are always with you, right Chuck?"

"Damn right, Sarah. After all, we are a team."

The raid on Bennett's dojo started smoothly. Team Chuck and the two tactical teams surrounded the place and quickly neutralized the guards. Then they all proceeded inside, searching the building one room at a time. Finally, Chuck, Sarah and Casey came upon a locked door.

"Walker, open it, we'll cover you," Casey said. He and Chuck, who had his favorite tranq gun, took up positions. Sarah had the door open in no time at all. It opened into a long corridor. They had just started going along it when the door slammed shut with a metallic click.

"Shit," Sarah muttered. She examined the door. It was solidly built and the supporting teams would have to either blow it open or tear it down.

"I wonder what's at the end of the corridor," Casey said.

"Buddy, wait!" It was no use. Casey was already on the move, weapon at the ready. With no other choice, Chuck and Sarah moved to cover their partner. Eventually, they chanced upon a large room and crouched by the open door to see what was going on inside. Several men were hard at work, moving various boxes to an escape tunnel.

"Drop your weapons," a voice said from behind them, followed by the sound of at least five weapons' safeties being clicked off.

"Dammit," Sarah muttered. There must have been another room across the corridor, one with a hidden door. Bennett's men disarmed them and herded them inside.

"John," Bennett said, recognizing his former student. "Welcome to my humble dojo. You saved me the trouble of looking for you. What do you say? Do you want to take your training to the next level?"

"You mean by joining the Ring?"

"The Ring," Bennett snorted. "They are merely a client. I have my own business here, John, although thanks to you I now have to relocate."

"Save it, I'm no traitor."

"Too bad, in that case we'll just have to kill you and your friends."

"What about all the stuff you used to teach, honor and the like? Can't you face me in single combat?"

"You are right, John, this should be very educational for my students. By the time your support team manages to open the corridor doors, it'll all be over and we'll be off to a new base."

Bennett's disciples sat in a circle around the room. The guards sat Chuck and Sarah down in a corner, where they could keep an eye on them. Casey and Bennett were at the center of the room, sizing each other up. Then the fight began. And it was not going well for Casey. Bennett was a more experienced fighter and it showed.

"I expected to see a better performance from a former student of mine, John," Bennett taunted, after blocking a swing from Casey and answering with a combination of moves that left Casey staggering, blood flowing from his nose. He shook it off and charged again. Bennett managed to send him to the floor this time.

"You disappoint me again, John. It looks like my lessons back then were for naught. You still haven't found your calm center in order to focus. Your center is still filled with conflict, that's why you can't beat me."

"That's it!" An idea popped into Chuck's head, as he remembered something Sarah had told him in the car about the trust relationship between teacher and student and the consequences of one of them betraying it. He knelt by Casey. "Buddy, get up!"

"Run for it, Chuck, go," Casey replied dazedly.

"Look, I get how you're feeling, man. I totally get how you're feeling." This earned him a strange look from Casey. "You are feeling betrayed by someone you really cared about."

"You are damaging my calm, Chuck."

"You spend so much of your life pushing people away, lashing out with hurtful words and punches. But I know why you do it. You do it because you are scared."

"What?"

"Scared! Scared to be known. Scared that if we see who you really are, we'd actually care about you!"

"Shut up!"

"Yeah, shut up, Chuck. You are making him mad," Sarah said. He shushed her and gave her a thumbs-up.

"Underneath that extremely terrifying exterior lies a man who deeply, deeply feels. You care. You care about us, you care about me. Admit it, you feel all warm and mushy about me. Go ahead, say it: you love me, John Casey!"

"I'm gonna kill you!" He reached out to wring the Moron's neck.

"No, no, wait! Not me, _him_," Chuck said, pointing at Bennett. Casey turned and emitted a guttural growl when he saw his opponent again. He rose and went back into the fight. This time it was Bennett who was taking some really heavy blows.

"Nice work, sensei," Sarah said to Chuck.

"Yeah, you see, the thing is that Casey doesn't really have a calm center. It's more of an angry center." He had barely finished the phrase when Casey flipped Bennett, sending him landing hard on the floor, bloodied, dazed and soundly defeated.

"There he is. There is your sensei," Casey told Bennett's shocked disciples. "Take a good look at him. Who's next?"

"Woo-hooo!" Chuck exclaimed. That instant, the tactical teams burst into the room after using shaped charges to blow holes in the walls. Outnumbered and outgunned, the bad guys gave up without a fight.

"Come on, Casey," Sarah said, taking a first aid kit and wiping the blood off her partner's face.

"We are not done yet. Give me a few more minutes with Bennett and we'll know where Keller is holed up."

"No need to, buddy," Chuck said cheerfully and tossed Bennett's cell phone to his friend. "You might want to check the last incoming message."

"Not bad, Bartowski. So, what are we waiting for? It's time to settle all old scores once and for all."

-o-

"Very considerate of Keller to send a text with his address to his old buddy," Sarah remarked, as they were observing a log cabin in the woods through field glasses.

"Five men are patrolling outside," Chuck said.

"Just one person is inside, Keller most likely," Sarah added, checking the cabin with a thermal imager.

"I concur," Casey agreed. "This is how we'll do it." He then outlined his plan for the approach and the takedown.

-o-

"I still can't believe it," Kathleen said, accepting a cup of coffee Stephen offered her and nodding her thanks. They were all sitting in the back room of Casey's office. Two bunks had been set up in it and a folding screen gave the women some privacy for when they needed it.

"I believed him, Mom. The second he mentioned his real name and showed me these old photos he had of you and him, I knew he was telling the truth."

"I recognized him the moment I laid eyes on him. The years have been kind to him."

"The same goes for you, Kathleen," Stephen said. "Consider yourself lucky I'm already married."

"Thank you, Stephen."

"Mom, do you want to know something funny?"

"Like what?"

"The other day I was talking to Morgan and we kind of agreed that you needed to start getting out more. A good way to do that was to find a nice guy for you to date."

"What Alex is saying is that we were considering setting you up with Casey. You know, blind date at a restaurant or something like that."

"Good thing you never got the chance to go ahead with your plan."

"Nevertheless, it would have been rather interesting," Stephen chuckled.

"You just made a classic understatement, Stephen. John couldn't stay here because of his urgent business, but had we the time… Remember, I was really pissed. I still am, but not so much now. Wow, these cookies are good."

"Ellie, my daughter, made them with some help from Sarah."

-o-

Chuck and Sarah were in a bright yellow rental Jeep Wrangler, driving on the trail leading to the cabin. He was driving, while she was next to him and appeared to be trying to read a map. Suddenly, she rose from the passenger seat and gestured excitedly.

"Look honey, there are people here," she said in a Texas drawl.

"We might finally get some good directions." He stopped next to one of the cars parked there. "Howdy," he greeted the nearest man. "We kind of got lost out here and I was wondering if you fellas could point us to the main jeep trail." Keller's men, thinking that the couple was no threat, had hidden their weapons from view. Of course, it was all a diversion, part of Casey's plan to approach and enter the cabin undetected, without giving Keller the chance to destroy any useful intel that he might have.

"You got a map?" Ring agent Number One asked.

"Sure we do, but my wife got us lost. So, if you please just tell us exactly where we are now…"

"No problem. Let me see." The Ring operative leaned into the jeep to look at the map, also getting a good view of Sarah's rack (she was wearing a tight cut-off t-shirt over denim shorts and hiking boots and had a red scarf around her neck). The diversion worked better than expected. Two each were on Chuck and Sarah's sides of the vehicle, while the last one was returning after going aside to inform his boss that the two lost tourists did not present any kind of threat. Chuck was already primed for combat and Sarah was always ready. He gave her hand a squeeze. It was the go signal. She shot the guy leaning into the jeep with her S&W and threw a knife at the other one, severing his carotid artery. He went down, his hands clutching at his throat, trying to stem the flow of blood that was spurting out. In the meantime, Chuck kicked his door open, catching a Ring agent in the gut and catapulted himself out of the driver's seat, his feet connecting with the fourth man's face, knocking him out cold. He then karate-chopped his first victim, before putting the jeep in reverse and bumping the last man with the spare tire, sending him flying backwards. For good measure he shot a couple of tranq darts into each of them.

Inside the cabin, Keller had been engrossed in a project outline and went back to working on it after being told that a couple of harmless tourists had strayed into their temporary base area.

"Long time no see, Keller." The voice made him jump.

"John, what an unexpected pleasure." Being a veteran agent, he had recovered quickly.

"I can't say the same," Casey said and threateningly approached the older man.

"Perhaps you should know that your ex-fiancée should be in our hands right now. I suggest you refrain from any action that could endanger her."

"Think again, you bastard. She's safe and you are ten men short as we speak. Besides, you'd have never called them off."

"Right!" Keller flipped the oak table at Casey, who jumped, holding on to a roof beam and kicked Keller with both feet.

"By the way, your old buddy Bennett helped us find you."

"Bullshit. He'd never betray me." Keller swung and Casey ducked the punch, answering with a chop to the kidney.

"Maybe not him, but his cell phone still contained your message." Two jabs to the gut and a right hook left Keller wheezing for air and with a split and bleeding lip. "I enjoyed kicking his traitorous ass. Now, it's your turn."

"Dream on!" Keller kicked a chair at Casey, who absorbed the impact with his left thigh. Then he knocked Keller's arms off of his shoulders and his hand closed around his opponent's throat.

"You know there are probably a hundred reasons why I should take you alive, but right now I can't think of one." He flicked his wrist and Keller's neck broke with a sickening crack. Chuck and Sarah burst inside just then.

"Casey?"

"It's finished," he replied, letting the corpse drop to the floor. "Call the cleaners and let's go file our report."

-o-

"Good job, people," Graham said when the three agents finished giving their reports.

"Thank you, sir," they chorused.

"Colonel, about the other matter, what happened?" Beckman asked.

"They are both safe, thank you for asking, General."

"Are they…?"

"Yes, they are aware of my agent status, since they know I'm alive and well. I had to tell them the truth."

"I understand, and it was the right thing to do, especially since the Ring sent men after Ms. McHugh. Do you consider yourself fit to continue as a field agent?"

"Yes ma'am. I talked to both of them and they are willing to help me maintain my cover."

"OK. Take tomorrow off, lady and gentlemen. I think you'll need it, most of all you, Colonel."

"Thank you, General."

"That went well," Chuck said, stretching lazily, after Beckman signed off.

"Yes, it did," Sarah agreed, sitting on his lap. He kissed her (to an annoyed grunt by Casey) and then they got up to go rejoin the others upstairs.

"How did it go, Dad?" Alex asked.

"Fine."

"John, let me look at you. What happened? You are hurt," Kathleen said.

"You should see the other guys."

"Casey kicked ass and took names," Sarah said. "And he did it for you."

"The threat to you has been eliminated," he added.

"You killed him, Dad?"

"I had more than one score to settle with him. He was the one who disconnected my last call to your mother."

"I was going to give you a hint about being pregnant back then."

"I wish I knew, Kathleen. I don't know how I'll ever manage to make it up to you."

"You can let her stay with you for a couple of days, until the cleaners are done repairing the damage to her house," Stephen said.

"They told the neighbors that it's being fumigated," Sarah explained. Chuck's phone rang.

"Hello. Hi, sis… Yeah, we can all make it… Give us half an hour… Oh, and Alex's mom will be joining us… Good. Thanks, Ellie, you are the best." He turned to the others. "As you might have guessed, dinner at Ellie's in thirty. Kathleen, Alex, Ellie doesn't know about our second jobs, so…"

"I'll keep my mouth shut. Don't worry, Chuck," Kathleen assured them

"Same goes for me," Alex added.

"Thanks."

"Let me take your bag, Kathleen," Casey said.

"I think I should move in with you, while Kathleen and Alex can take my room," Morgan suggested. "It would seem kind of weird if she stayed with you."

"Good thinking, little buddy. She'll just have to pretend having met Casey for the first time, which is not entirely a lie. She did meet John Casey for the first time today."

"I believe that, judging from her cookies, Chuck's sister is an excellent cook. And I'm starving."

"Saddle up and let's go, people. Our dinner awaits."

"Yes sir, Colonel, sir!" Morgan exclaimed. Alex laughed and kissed him.

"Grimes, I'll kill you."

"Cut the kids some slack, John, let them have fun."

"If you say so. Well, are you guys coming, or what?"

"We're right behind you, buddy," Chuck said.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N:** Not much in the way of action and adventure here, but hopefully it's funny enough.

* * *

**Chapter 27 – A Ring, ****the Ring and Lava Flow**

Chuck, Morgan and Devon had gone to the stores, armed with the shopping lists the girls had provided. Due to another screw-up with the shifts at Westside Medical, Ellie had been called to work. Sarah and Alex had some very serious business to attend to, namely engaging in the feminine pursuit of painting their toenails. So, there they were in the living room, toe spacers on their feet, an assortment of nail polish bottles on the coffee table in front of them, debating what color to use. They finally settled on a vibrant red and proceeded to apply it with extraordinary care.

'By the way, Alex, did you notice the look on Chuck's face when he saw you in Morgan's t-shirt?"

"No, why?"

"Apparently it has never been worn before. I asked him about it and it's a vintage, autographed, original Back to the Future t-shirt."

"So that's why Morgan almost had a heart attack when he saw you in Chuck's Star Wars t-shirt."

"Really? Well, if you wonder why Chuck appeared to be more worried about Morgan's t-shirt and vice versa, the look on their faces when each of them saw us in his t-shirt said it all."

"I guess you're right. More coffee?"

"Yes, please."

"It feels so good not having classes and not having to go to work today."

"I know what you mean."

"Can I ask you something personal, Sarah?"

"Shoot."

"When you were in college, did you have a job?"

"Yeah, kind of. I was training to become an agent."

"How was it? Don't tell me anything classified, just your opinion in general."

"Some classes were exciting, some downright boring. The best part was in the summers. We'd always get two weeks off and then we'd have to get back to the academy for more training. I generally preferred the outdoors activities to sitting in a classroom listening to a veteran agent lecture us on procedures and the like."

"Didn't it suck not to be able to live like a normal student?"

"Actually, living and partying like normal students was encouraged. It was something about learning to maintain a cover."

"Oh."

"Uh-huh. Needless to say, it was a pretty wild time for me, as I exploited the freedom I had to the full and then some." They both laughed.

"So, Morgan is an agent?"

"No, he's not. He's more of an analyst and logistics specialist. Casey's gonna train him on some necessary skills. By the way, where did Casey disappear? I haven't seen him since yesterday."

"He and Mom decided to spend time together, do some catching up and get to know each other all over again."

"Do you think they are…?"

"Frankly, I don't know. I hope so, though. They both deserve it."

"No argument there." Since the nail polish had dried, Sarah removed the toe spacers from her feet and tossed them in their box, Alex following suit. "How's Morgan taking it? Knowing that Casey's your Dad, I mean."

"There has been no change, save for the initial panic attack, which Dad perversely enjoyed. Mom's support for him must have something to do with it. He doesn't have anything to worry about, anyway. He's always been the perfect gentleman to me."

"Just between you and me, John didn't know how to take it when he learned the truth about you being his daughter. You were already dating Morgan by then."

"I have a feeling he wanted to hurt Morgan."

"Sometimes, yes, he did. But even he acknowledged how nice Morgan always was to you."

"I think we should start tidying up the place. The boys will be back soon and they'll be expecting us to cook."

"We better get on with it, but I hope they do not have high expectations for lunch."

"They asked for a light lunch, as Morgan volunteered to make dinner tonight."

-o-

The rest of the day passed pleasantly. They had no mission to keep them busy, so Chuck and Morgan pitched in to help the girls with the housekeeping chores. It was already dark and they were all enjoying a movie after dinner, which was excellent as usual. A noise from the courtyard made them turn to look. Casey was walking towards his apartment, arm in arm with Kathleen.

"At least they are on good terms now," Alex said, remembering the monumental fight in her father's apartment between him and her mother on the morning of the first day of Kathleen's stay in Echo Park. Fortunately, Ellie had been at work and missed all the shouting and thing breaking that had occurred. Venting her anger had certainly helped Kathleen, for now she and Casey were rebuilding their relationship on a whole new level. Alex was also connecting with her father. Chuck and Sarah had noticed the change in their partner. Off the job, he now tended to be more relaxed and was even beginning to become rather easy-going.

"WHAT?"

The screamed question made them all jump. Across the courtyard, Casey and Kathleen were at the door, trying to see what was going on. Chuck did not hesitate. He marched to his sister's apartment and knocked. Awesome answered the door.

"Devon, what's going on?"

"Ellie's freaking out big time, bro."

"Why? Sis, what's wrong?"

"The Very Awesomes are on the way here! They're taking the red eye from Connecticut and will arrive before dawn. I have to get this place straightened out, it's a pig sty. Get out, both of you!"

"Come on, Captain. It's not safe to be around her when she's like this." Chuck pushed Devon out the door and towards his place.

"So?" Sarah asked.

"Devon's parents are on their way here and Ellie's gone into Martha Stewart mode."

"I'll go see if she needs reinforcements," Sarah said.

"Sarah, wait, I'm coming with you," Alex added.

"Hey, Moron, what seems to be the problem?" Casey asked, coming to Chuck's door.

"Nothing serious, Casey, Ellie just freaked out because Devon's folks are coming to town. Sarah and Alex just went to help her tidy up."

"She's freaking out for nothing, you know," Devon said. "My parents both know that I like having a little mess in the apartment, but this is something she doesn't seem to understand."

"Well, there is nothing we can do about it. You know how she gets. Can I get you a beer or something?"

"That'd be great, Chuckster, thanks."

"Casey?"

"Uh, no, thanks." He went back to his place to assure Kathleen that there was no problem.

-o-

"No, Dad, there is no need to get that. We already have one." Devon was inwardly cursing his mother's idea to go shopping for some home appliances, as he directed his father to put the camcorder back on its shelf. Naturally, he'd suggested the Buy More, and thus he, Ellie, his parents and Stephen Bartowski were all at the appropriate section of the store, looking at the various products.

"What about this?" Honey Woodcomb asked, holding up a food shrink wrapper.

"How many times are the kids going to use it, anyway?" Stephen asked. He'd been doing a great job keeping things in check, ably assisted by Devon.

"We have other priorities," Ellie agreed.

"Like what?" Woody Woodcomb asked.

"We got a new TV as our joint anniversary present, so now we were thinking about getting a washer and dryer. It'll save us the trips to the Laundromat."

"Good idea, son."

"What about a coffee machine, I think you could use one," Honey piped in.

"Nah, we can always borrow Morgan's. It's top of the line and can make almost any kind of coffee, plus tea and hot chocolate."

"I was talking to your neighbor John earlier and he told me that he has a Beast Master 2000 grill."

"Woody, it's not among our priorities right now," Ellie said. "But we could use an electric slicer, like the one Sarah has."

"Maybe you can get a set of kitchen knives as well."

"Sarah got me one for Christmas."

"This Sarah must really be an awesome girl."

"Oh, she is, trust me."

"Who is Sarah?" Woody asked.

"She's Chuck's girlfriend," Honey replied. "We'll get to meet her later. Maybe she can help with the dinner menu as well. Stephen and I arranged a tasting later today."

"Just be patient," Devon whispered to his fiancée.

"Believe me, I'm trying. You and Dad are helping a lot, too."

"I'm the first of their three sons that gets married, which explains their enthusiasm. But we'll just ride it out." He put a comforting arm around her.

Eventually, Ellie and Devon, plus Stephen, managed to make the Very Awesomes see reason and limited the purchases to what they perceived to be fitting to the couple's needs. Big Mike thought that their visit was still quite profitable for his store and made sure that they had gotten the best possible service, which of course meant that Jeff and Lester had been strictly prohibited from approaching the customers closer than twenty yards. In fact, they had been banished to the Cage, just to be on the safe side.

For the moment, Woody's attention was focused on some computers and other gadgets, while Stephen was only too glad to give an opinion when asked. Honey had finally realized that she was being way too pushy, so she moderated her ways and was now having a discussion with Ellie about Devon's workout equipment. She had not seen any of it at the apartment, so she asked her soon to be daughter in law what her son had done with it. The answer was simple: while not in use, all equipment was kept in the storeroom.

-o-

"Mom, Ellie has it all planned. We're good to go, so don't start second-guessing her choices, OK?" Devon warned his mother in private, before they went together to rejoin Ellie, Stephen and Woody and wait for the caterers to deliver the various items under consideration for the wedding dinner menu.

"Aren't Sarah and Chuck coming?" Honey asked.

"They'll be here." Stephen's assurance was not an empty promise. As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. The new arrivals were none other than Chuck and Sarah. The Very Awesomes knew Chuck from their previous visits and now they were more than happy to meet Sarah. In their opinion, he deserved a nice girl and Sarah seemed to be the perfect match for him. She was, in more ways than they could imagine.

Frankly, both Ellie and Devon had been somewhat dreading the tasting, but they were relieved to see it all went well. Ellie's choice of the company to handle things even earned her considerable praise from Honey. The items offered for consideration were all excellent, so all they had to do was choose what they thought would be the perfect menu.

"Sarah, what's wrong?" Honey asked, noticing Sarah fiddle with her dish.

"I just don't like olives," she replied. "That said, this here dish certainly deserves to be included. But I like the previous one, which didn't have any olives, better."

It took them a little while, but eventually they settled on an excellent menu. Of course, there were a few small tasks left, like buying the cake. All the rest, including finding a band (At first Chuck had – jokingly – suggested Jeffster, much to his sister's horror), had been taken care of. Woody and Honey retired to their hotel room, leaving their son and his fiancée some sorely needed breathing space. As for Chuck and Sarah…

"Chuck, have you seen my workout schedule anywhere?"

"Uh, no, but you might want to check either the dresser or your nightstand, or both. What do you need it for, anyway? It's not like we ate that much tonight."

"That was before you, your Dad, Awesome and his dad went to talk 'guy stuff' in the living room," she said, giving him a dirty look and making air quotes with her fingers.

"And?"

"And you left the rest of us to taste the samples for the wedding cake."

"Come here. How many times do I have to tell you that I'll always love you, regardless of whether you are in top shape or not."

"But I want to be in top shape!" Sarah protested.

"Then you should start now!" He pulled her on to the bed and started tickling her all over.

"Hah! Chuck! Ha-ha-ha! Stop! Heh! I, hah, can't breathe! Ho-ha-hah! Stop it!"

"One more fact about Agent Walker confirmed," he said, stopping the sweet torture only when the non-stop laughing brought tears to her eyes and she was completely out of breath. "She really is ticklish!"

"How did you know?"

"Morgan. You know, just before we were given the suburbs mission, when he was talking about the sizzling shrimp," he said and poked her just like Morgan had done.

"Oh, you are so going to pay for this, Chuck Bartowski!"

"Make me!"

Later…

"I hope you enjoyed the fireworks as much as I did, Chuck," she panted, rolling on her back and trying to catch her breath.

"Oh yeah," he said. "It was amazing. I only hope the neighbors won't call the police. We were kind of loud, especially you." It was true. Sarah had been really vocal tonight.

"I wouldn't worry about that."

"How come?"

"Our apartment is well soundproofed. By the way, how did you remember about me being ticklish from that one time?"

"Ah, it's all due to another Intersect I have in my head, one that is getting regular updates."

"What do you mean you are getting updates to what Intersect and why wasn't I told?"

"Because it's the Sarah Walker Intersect. Living with you helps me update it all the time," he said and her expression softened.

"You are so sweet, Chuck. I love you."

"I love you too, Sarah." They kissed lovingly and burrowed under the covers, getting again all handsy with each other. They mostly ignored a beeping sound, only Chuck stealing a look at his phone which lay on the nightstand.

"Ahem…"

"Sarah, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Never mind."

"Chuck…"

"OK, now I heard it too," Sarah said.

"Bartowski!"

"Sounds like…" He peeked towards his TV. "General?"

"What?" Sarah asked and raised her head to look. Seeing General Beckman's scowling face on the screen, she gasped, blushed and sank lower until only her eyes were visible above the covers.

"I wanted a word with you. Pardon the intrusion," said the General.

"On this moment or our life in general?" Chuck replied caustically.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Despite her uncompromising attitude, she felt bad about interrupting them, by intruding into their personal space no less. To her side, Langston Graham was trying hard not to laugh. But he did give a thumbs-up to Chuck, fortunately without Beckman noticing. They had both seen the movement under the comforter and knew what was going on in the two agents' room – until they interrupted.

"I'll add my apologies for the intrusion, but the matter couldn't wait," Graham said. "We have a unique opportunity to decapitate the Ring by capturing its top leaders. Our HUMINT resources indicate that a meeting of the Ring Elders is currently underway, across the border in a Mexican resort city."

"The NSA has intercepted communications confirming the reports of the meeting," Beckman added.

"Do you want us to crash the party?" Chuck asked.

"No. They have heavy security and we can't go in with guns blazing, not in a crowded hotel with a lot of innocent bystanders around."

"The option of intercepting their motorcade was also considered and rejected for pretty much the same reasons. In addition we prefer to take them alive," Graham said.

"So, where does that leave us?" Sarah asked.

"They'll be flying out of Cabo San Lucas and…" Beckman began, but Chuck interrupted her.

"Let me guess: You want us to hijack their aircraft and fly them to the US."

"Yes, Chuck, this is exactly what we want you to do. You'll be all flying to Mexico in the morning."

Chuck and Sarah looked at each other. "Good thing we are already packed," Sarah said, meaning their mission bags.

"Excellent. Goodnight people." The General signed off.

"Well, we have a mission," she said.

"Yeah… I hope it won't take us too long." He plopped back down on the mattress and lay still, staring at the ceiling.

"Chuck? Did _they_ kill the mood?"

He didn't reply. Instead, he got up and yanked the power cable for the TV off its socket before getting back in bed and giving her a kiss that curled her toes.

"They most certainly didn't," she smiled and pulled the covers over them both.

-o-

"Don't worry, little brother, we'll be fine. You two have done more than your share of helping us with the preparations. Go, take care of business and we'll talk again when you get back," Ellie said. They had told her that they would have to go out of town on a business trip and hoped to be back in a couple of days at the latest. Morgan would be accompanying them, while Stephen would hold the fort at the office. In turn, he enlisted the help of two people. One was Jack, who would help with the marketing, and the other was Alex, who had a few days off since the diner had (luckily) closed for a few days for remodeling and changes in equipment. The elder Bartowski and Devon were about to drive the team and their luggage from Castle to Bob Hope airport, for their flight to Cabo, when the secure communications system announced an incoming video call. They all gathered in the main room and Casey pushed a button to accept the call.

"Hi guys," Bryce Larkin said cheerfully. They could see that he was in a condo and he was wearing only a pair of Bermuda shorts.

"Hey buddy," Chuck said, "are you in Cabo? Looks like you are having a great time there."

"We are working, but we are having fun as well," Bryce replied.

"We?" Sarah asked.

"Hi Sarah, hi guys! Nice seeing you again." Jill Roberts strutted in, clad in a bikini and a matching short pareo and carrying a couple of tall drinks, handing one to Bryce.

"Talk about mixing business with pleasure," Devon commented.

"Walker and Bartowski do it all the time," Casey said. "Why shouldn't Larkin and Roberts do it as well?" Chuck and Sarah pretended to exchange guilty looks.

"We have some information for you."

"Go ahead, Bryce," Stephen said.

"Here goes: The Ring Elders will be finishing up their meetings by early evening and will depart together tomorrow afternoon for an as yet unknown destination. They will disperse there and head singly back to their individual bases of operation. Our best bet is to fly them to the US and the nearest maximum security detainment facility, like the bosses undoubtedly told you."

"There is one glitch," Jill said. "They'll have their own jet and security, so hijacking it will be a pain."

"What do you suggest then?"

"Bryce has taken care of it. He snuck into the airport and planted a little something in the central flight control system of their jet."

"Basically, all sorts of caution lights will come on in the cockpit, alerting the flight crew to a serious electrical system failure, which will necessitate the scrubbing of the flight. Therefore, they'll have to get another aircraft to fly out. This is where you come in."

"I see where you're going, Larkin. An executive jet crewed by Walker, Bartowski and yours truly will just so happen to land there while they are debating on what to do. They'll see it as an opportunity and try to rent it. Only, instead of their intended destination, we'll fly them to Miramar."

"You got the gist, Casey."

"Can we give you two a lift as well?" Chuck asked.

"Thanks, but we'll pass," Jill replied. "We were thinking about spending a couple more days here. We haven't been enjoying it as much as we wanted, since we were working."

"Oh well, I had to ask. Besides, Ellie's wedding is next week and I thought you might want to drop by."

"Larkin's supposed to be dead, Moron," Casey said acidly.

"Ellie's not in the know, huh?" Bryce asked.

"It's the only reason I'm still alive," Chuck admitted. "You can still come in disguise. It'll mean a lot to me."

"I'll think of something."

"Don't worry, Chuck, we'll both be there," Jill assured him.

"You guys contact Director Graham and see about getting a luxury jet. We won't be able to see you in Cabo, but we'll talk when we get to LA. Break a leg!"

"Thanks buddy!"

When the screen went blank, everyone swung into action. Casey called the General and Graham and asked them to put an executive aircraft at their disposal. Sarah went upstairs to talk to her father.

"Daddy, can I ask you something?"

"Sure thing, Angel."

"Is there a business meeting, conference, expo, or similar scheduled to take place in the Cabo San Lucas area around tomorrow?"

"I can check," he replied and picked up a copy of the Financial Times. He circled an article with a red marker pen and then browsed for more information online. "You are in luck. Here you go, Darling. Are there any shady businessmen you want to con, for the greater good, of course?"

"Not really, I was hoping that some of them might need a high class flight to Cabo. They will be our cover, albeit unknowingly."

"You don't have to tell me any classified details, but take this." He gave her a list of participants.

"Daddy, you are the best." She gave him an appreciative hug and disappeared back downstairs. The only person she found in the main room was Casey.

"Where are the others?"

"They went to the wardrobe."

"I see. I'll need to make a few calls. I think I can find some clients for Intersect Airlines, in order to reinforce our cover."

*grunt* (Intersect Airlines, nice one, Walker) Aloud, he said, "We got a Dassault Falcon biz jet from Graham. She'll be ready and waiting for us at the airport. I'll be the Captain. The Moron will be the First Officer, while you will be the stewardess."

"What about Morgan?"

"He can come as cabin crew, like you, or as a company executive."

"We'll see about that later."

"Casey," Chuck called, "we have the uniforms ready. Morgan, we had nothing your size, so you get to be a businessman by default."

"I've got no problem with that," Morgan said.

"Did you get a uniform ready for me?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, we left it hanging next to your locker."

"Thanks." She went to check. The moment she left, Chuck started looking at his watch. She stormed back into the main room twenty seconds later.

"There is no way I'm wearing THAT!" She threw a very short skirt on the conference table.

"I think it'll look great on you," Chuck offered.

"Charles Irving Bartowski, I am not about to help you pervs fulfill one of your big boy fantasies!"

"Honey, A) I was the only 'perv' and B) we don't have another matching skirt for the uniform."

Growling and muttering curses under her breath, Sarah about-faced and headed for the wardrobe, where she was mortified to discover that Chuck was actually telling her the truth. She returned and gave him a sheepish apologetic look. Still, he took her by the arm and led her back to the wardrobe to see if they could find something more decent for her. They were both surprised to discover a longer version of the skirt the fuss had been about fallen behind a couple of boxes in the closet. Sarah remarked that she would only have to iron it and then it would be perfect. When the preparation phase was completed, they sent Devon home and settled for a quiet night in Castle before flying to Mexico the following day.

-o-

Cabo San Lucas International airport was small, but busy. After only a short wait on the holding pattern, a sleek Dassault Falcon 7X, ocean gray with midnight blue trim and cheat lines, landed gracefully on the runway and taxied to the terminal. Once the ground crew had placed the chocks in front of the wheels and signaled the pilot to cut the engines, the passenger door with the built-in airstair opened and the passengers began filing out, obviously having had a good trip. They were businessmen and doctors on the way to a conference taking place in Cabo. Graham had managed to find enough customers for 'Intersect Airlines', even on such short notice.

It did not go unnoticed by a sullen group of men and women who were in the terminal, waiting to see if the problem with their own aircraft could be fixed. Their leader saw the opportunity and decided to take it. The Falcon was, after all, the only aircraft around suitable for them and their entourage. He found an airport official and had a quick talk with him. Soon, he found himself talking to a short bearded man in an expensive business suit. It didn't take them long to make a deal. The short man, a Mr. Cobretti, left to brief the crew of the aircraft, after telling the Ring Elder to arrange for their luggage to be taken to the Falcon.

"How did it go, little buddy?" Chuck asked. He and Casey were dressed for the part of airline pilots, right down to the aviator sunglasses.

"They took the bait, hook, line and sinker. We have customers."

"Good," Sarah said. She looked stunning in a royal blue skirt and jacket over a white shirt, a matching silk scarf around her neck. She'd only left her hat off. "When will our passengers be boarding?"

"In less than half an hour. Their luggage has to be loaded first. Here's their destination." He handed Casey a piece of paper.

"I suppose I have to file a new flight plan," Casey said with a sneaky smile.

As Morgan had said, it took less than half an hour for their passengers to arrive. He and Sarah were at the door to greet them, while Casey and Chuck remained in the cockpit. On the flight to Cabo, Chuck had flashed on flying skills to relieve Casey at the controls for a few minutes and had performed admirably. Once their passengers, the five Ring Elders and their bodyguards and secretaries had settled down, Sarah gave the standard demonstration about seatbelts, emergency exits, life jackets and oxygen masks, and then they were rolling towards the runway.

When they reached cruising altitude, Casey turned the fasten seatbelt signs off and Sarah moved about the cabin serving refreshments and snacks. Several passengers were looking appreciatively at her. At one point Morgan got up and headed for the galley, where she joined him and locked the door.

"Ready for phase two," she told the pilots over the intercom. Then she and Morgan put on their gas masks.

"Phase two is on," Chuck reported. The cabin began filling with an invisible, odorless knockout gas. It was over two minutes later.

"They are all out cold," Morgan said. "Purge the cabin." The gas was pumped out and fresh air pumped in, making it safe to walk about without masks on. Casey contacted air traffic control and filed a change in the flight plan. The new destination was San Diego. Not long later, they made a smooth landing at MCAS Miramar. A large CIA/NSA contingent was there to take the Ring Elders and their associates into custody, as were Graham and Beckman. They were not about to miss one of the greatest intelligence coups ever. Casey marched down the airstair, walked up to the General and saluted.

"Mission accomplished, General," he reported. "They are all yours."

"Thank you John, you and your team did a great job. Agents Walker, Bartowski and Mr. Grimes, congratulations."

"Thank you ma'am," they chorused.

"A helicopter is waiting to take you back to LA," Graham said, after shaking hands with the four of them.

"Well, now that we threw the Ring into the lava flow, we can get back to making sure another ring gets on Ellie's finger."

"I don't get it," Sarah said.

"Hasn't she seen Lord of the Rings, dude?" Morgan asked Chuck.

"I have," she said.

"Then you remember the part about destroying the ring."

"Oh, that's what you meant. Can we go home now?"

"Sure thing, Sarah," Chuck said, taking her hand as they walked towards the waiting helicopter.

"I must say it. The end was a bit anticlimactic. Zero chance for gunplay and the like, not that I'm complaining, mind you. I only regret not getting my daughter anything from Cabo," said Casey.

"I have it covered," Morgan said and handed the big man a package. "I bought stuff for Alex and Kathleen at the terminal souvenir shop."

"I owe you one, Grimes."

"Seriously, it was nothing."

Alex met them at Bob Hope Airport, driving Kathleen's minivan and took them back to Castle, where they returned their uniforms to the wardrobe and put their normal clothes back on. Chuck called his sister to let her know he was back in town and available should she need anything. She said that she had everything under control, so she declined the offer – for now.

With the Ring Elders in custody, all that remained was the mopping up, which was done not only in the US, but in every country the Ring had spread its tentacles. Since its apparatus in the Los Angeles area had already been crippled, the Team did not have much to do, so its members went about their normal/cover jobs, in addition to helping with the wedding preparations. Bryce and Jill returned from Mexico and booked a room in a hotel, under the names of Mr. and Mrs. Anderson.

-o-

"Have fun, Devon. You know I trust you, right?"

"I know, babe. You just go have fun with the other girls. I love you."

"I love you too," Ellie said. Next door, Chuck and Sarah were also getting ready. He would go to Awesome's bachelor party, while she would go to Ellie's bachelorette party.

"I expect you to behave," she told him.

"No need for jealousy here, Sarah, you know you are the only girl I have eyes for."

"I was just saying. And I am NOT jealous."

"The only thing you have to think about is having a good time. Besides, with Carina organizing the whole thing, _I_ should be more worried about what _you_ are going to do tonight."

"Please, have some faith in your girlfriend."

"I do, believe me." *kiss*

-o-

The men returned, at about four in the morning, almost sober. Sure they'd had plenty to drink, but they had paced themselves so as not to be overly affected by the alcohol. Plus, they had stayed faithful to their better halves and kept their promises not to overdo it. Devon's younger brothers and frat bros had exhibited the wildest behavior. But the girls were nowhere to be seen. They showed up an hour and a half later, holding onto each other for support, walking unsteadily and singing loudly and very much off-key, while passing a bottle of champagne around and drinking from it. The noise woke the men up and they went out in the courtyard to check.

"Sis, Sarah, what happened?"

"What do you *hic* think, little brother? We had fun!"

"Chuck, *hic* do you have a twin brother?" Sarah asked, squinting in his direction.

"What? Uh, no, it's just me. You, on the other hand, are drunk, ladies."

"I resent the insinuation," Sarah slurred. *hic*

"Drunk, plastered, wasted, hammered, blotto, take your pick, honey."

"I can still *hic* think straight."

"Possibly, but I'm not about to take chances." He motioned to Devon to get his fiancée inside, while Morgan would take Alex to bed. Casey volunteered to help with Carina and Bryce snuck out as soon as Ellie was back in her apartment to collect Jill.

"Thanks for letting us stay here tonight, Casey," he said as he carried Jill inside.

"I had a spare room, so it was no problem, Larkin. But you're welcome anyway. Bartowski, where do you want me to put Carina?"

"Just follow my lead and leave her in my room with her sister. And take that bottle from her. I'll take the couch."

"Roger that."

"Why, Chuckles," Carina pouted, "don't you want to share the bed with us?"

"It's not big enough," he said, as off-handedly as he could.

-o-

"Chuuuuck," Sarah moaned as she slowly clawed her way back to full consciousness, "why is the room spinning? Chuck?" She shook the body that was lying next to her.

"Please, mom, let me sleep a little longer," Carina complained.

"Carina?"

"Oh, hey Sarah."

"Where is Chuck?"

"Um, I vaguely remember his say something about taking the couch."

"Ugh, my head."

"Come on, little sis, I'll help you up." Together the girls staggered to the bathroom, but not before downing the aspirin and water Chuck had thoughtfully left for them. Later, in the kitchen, they joined a similarly miserable Alex. After downing couple of cups of black coffee each, they felt almost human again. And then it was inquisition time, as Alex and Sarah grilled their boyfriends relentlessly about what they'd done at Devon's bachelor party. Satisfied with the answers they got, they accepted a hearty breakfast and then went back to bed for some more badly needed sleep. The rehearsal dinner was tonight and they wanted to be in good form.

Fortunately for all concerned, the rehearsal dinner went off without a hitch. It had the added effect of calming Ellie down a bit. Her wedding craziness was going out of control as the big day approached. It was all Chuck and Devon could do to keep her from exploding. They were lucky to have the others help as much as possible. Of course, the highlight of the rehearsal dinner evening, at least as far Chuck and Sarah were concerned, was what happened afterwards. Back in their room, Chuck peeled the magnificent blue dress off of her and they made love like there would be no tomorrow. In the morning they were barely able to move.

W-Day finally arrived and all breathed a collective sigh of relief. Everything was perfect. The Nerd Herd crew, led by Skip and consisting of Anna, Marvin, Jeff and Lester, the latter two assigned to lugging the equipment around, arrived to set up the sound system the band had brought. Chuck also gave a hand in setting it up and keeping Jeffster under control. Sarah confirmed that the caterers for the wedding reception would be arriving shortly. Bryce in the meantime had put his disguise on, so that Ellie wouldn't recognize him.

Sarah, Alex and Carina were also assisting Ellie at the bridal chamber when the band decided to tune their instruments. It was a disaster. One of the amps was defective and blew, the smoke setting off the sprinkler system, drenching everyone inside the building. The ladies came running out of the bridal chambers, and Ellie was to the point of tears.

"We'll have to cancel the wedding," she sniffled.

"No, sis, we'll just postpone it for a couple of hours."

"What? That's impossible!"

"Trust me. Dad, send messages to the guests that the wedding will be delayed for technical reasons." He took Stephen aside. "You can also tell them that it'll take place on the beach. I know Ellie always wanted a beach wedding. The accident inside was a blessing in disguise."

"Do you have a specific beach in mind, son?" Stephen asked. Chuck just smiled and told him.

-o-

Being a member of an elite government intelligence team could cut through a lot of red tape. Casey got permission to use the beach for the wedding citing national security matters. He also worked with Carina and Bryce for the décor, while Morgan and Jill took care of the catering issues and assisted in preparing the courtyard of the apartment complex for the wedding reception. Sarah used CIA resources to get Ellie a new wedding dress, identical to the one soaked by the sprinklers and recruited a hairdresser who was an agency contractor to do their hair.

Finally, all was ready.

"Dearly beloved, we gathered here today to join Devon Christian Woodcomb and Eleanor Faye Bartowski in matrimony," the Justice of the Peace said. "Who gives this woman away to this man?"

"We do," Chuck and Stephen answered. The wedding march started playing as they walked with Ellie to where Devon was standing, smiling from ear to ear. Ellie and Devon said their vows, Chuck gave them the rings, which they placed on each other's finger, and then they were pronounced man and wife. And they kissed.

The wedding reception was perfect. All the effort they had put into it, from the selection of the catering company to the wedding cake to the menu, paid off. When the band took a break, Ellie corralled Carina and Jill in a corner.

"Listen, first of all, I'd like to thank you for all the effort you put into turning a disaster into my dream wedding."

"We can't take the credit for it, Ellie, it was all your brother's work. We just helped a bit," Jill said, pointing at Chuck and Sarah who were holding each other by the fountain.

"I still want you to do something for me."

"You have but to name it," Carina said.

"I want you two to make sure it's Sarah who catches the bouquet."

"You got it." Carina was grinning evilly. Sarah would freak out the second the bouquet landed in her hands. "All you have to do is aim well."

Somewhere else, Devon was giving a similar speech to Bryce and Casey. He wanted them to make sure Chuck was the one who'd catch Ellie's garter. Needless to say, they both agreed.

When the time came, the plans were set in motion. Sarah was content to hide behind her sister and Jill, unaware of their scheme. Ellie noted Sarah's location and threw the bouquet. At the last moment, Carina and Jill parted and the bundle sailed right into Sarah's hands. It all happened so fast, she didn't have time to even think knocking it away, much less do anything about it. She blushed slightly as everyone applauded.

Then, the eligible bachelors gathered and Devon removed his wife's garter slowly as she sat in a chair and prepared to throw it to them. Casey and Bryce both winked at him. They were ready to run interference for the unsuspecting Chuck, who was primed and eager to get it anyway. It worked as planned. Devon threw the garter, Casey and Bryce blocked the competition, leaving Chuck to snatch it in mid-air.

"I got it!" More applause and cheering followed.

"Remember, dude, every inch above the knee is another five years of happy marriage for Devon and Ellie," Morgan said, patting his best friend on the back. It was Sarah's turn in the chair, and Chuck slowly slipped the garter on her leg to the cheering and applause of the other guests, stopping only when his hands and the garter disappeared above the slit of her dress having taken it a full eight inches above her knee, right below her knife sheath. Then, they stood up and kissed. The band started playing another piece and they joined the other couples to dance. This time, he didn't need the Intersect.

The guests had all left, only the members of the newly wedded couple's families and closest friends remaining, so Devon carried Ellie over the threshold. They would leave on their honeymoon trip in the morning.

Chuck and Sarah retired to their room, exhausted but very happy. True, Sarah had not yet gotten over the surprise of having been the one to catch the bouquet, but she decided not to fret about it.

"I'm beat," she said and plopped down on the bed.

"Yeah, me too," Chuck agreed as he changed into his pajamas.

"Ellie is so happy. I'm really glad she is."

"She deserves it. They both deserve it."

"Get me ready for bed, please. I can't move." He undressed her carefully. When he was about to remove the garter from her thigh, she stopped him. "Just take the knife off, Chuck."

"Uh, what?"

"Did you really think I am that tired?" She had an unmistakable greedy glint in her beautiful sapphire eyes.

"You are a great actress, Sarah."

"Reward me, then."

"It'll be my pleasure," he said and jumped in bed beside her.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28 ****– Secrets Uncovered**

With Ellie and Devon on their honeymoon, so the coast was clear for doing spy stuff, Chuck thought. The problem was that they had no spy stuff to keep them busy. Training Morgan was a source of constant entertainment, as his best friend always tried to make light even of the most grueling courses Casey was giving him. He was doing well, too. He wanted to succeed, if only not to betray Casey's confidence in him. It was thanks to this confidence that he had become a member of the team in the first place. At the same time, Sarah was training Alex, unofficially of course. True, it was just self defense training, but they still had to keep it off the record. If discovered, Sarah would just say that she'd needed a sparring partner. They were really having fun, since Alex was already good at martial arts. For the moment, Chuck was content to sit in a corner of the indoor firing range, watching Casey prepare to give Morgan his first lesson on firearms.

"Morgan, it's time to start teaching you my favorite subject: firearms," began Casey.

"You mean I am going to get to shoot with these guns here?"

"A few of them, yes. Let's start with something simple. Take this." He gave him a 9 mm automatic.

"Oh wow! SIG Sauer, nine millimeter, thirteen-round magazine, laser sights…"

"Impressive."

"I just spend a lot of time playing first person shooter games."

"OK then. First you have to learn the safety precautions of handling a firearm and also how to field strip and reassemble it." He showed him how it was done and then had him try it. It took him a few tries, but in the end he did it to his satisfaction. He was trying hard, that much Casey could tell. He obviously wanted to live up to his friends' expectations and so he was forcing himself to concentrate. It was a new side of Morgan Grimes' personality and Casey had started to like it. Not that he'd ever admit it, of course.

"Done," he said, after finally reassembling the gun correctly.

"Not bad for a beginner, Grimes. Now, I want you to squeeze off a few at a target." They moved to the indoor range, where he showed him the correct way of holding a weapon. They also put on their protective gear.

"I'm ready."

"Lock and load."

"OK."

"Take your time, aim and fire when ready," he said. Morgan took careful aim and pulled the trigger. The report of the weapon, even muffled as it was by his hearing protection, and the recoil startled him. The gun flew from his hand, sailed over his head and Casey caught it.

"Man, the gun practically exploded in my hand!"

"There's nothing wrong with the gun, Grimes," he said and cleared the weapon. His attitude changed when he saw the target. Morgan's shot had hit it dead center. "I'll be damned," he muttered.

"What?"

"Take a look."

"Did I do that?"

"Uh-huh. Beginner's luck. Now, all we have to do is figure out a way to actually make the gun stay in your hands."

"How are you proposing to do that?"

"I think I have an idea," he said, grinning deviously and tossed him a pair of Nomex gloves. "Put these on." He left the room and returned a minute later with a roll of duct tape. Once he was satisfied that Morgan was again locked and loaded the gun and was holding it the proper way, he used the tape to secure it to his grip.

"That is your bright idea, Casey?"

"Yup. Try again."

Morgan fired at the target until he emptied the magazine. Since his hands were still duct taped to the gun, Casey cut the tape away to enable him to eject the mag and execute the appropriate safety actions.

"It worked," he said simply.

"Let's see how you did." They walked over to the target. "You missed a few, and you are aiming a bit too much to the right but otherwise you have a decent grouping for a beginner," he remarked.

"Blame it on thousands of hours of video games: Duck Hunt, Point Blank, Time Crisis, House of the Dead…"

"OK, Morgan, that's enough, I get it. Funny thing is that Bartowski said the same when he first fired a real gun."

"Can I try it again, this time without the duct tape?"

"Hold on. I need to set up a fresh target."

"OK. One more thing; can I keep the gloves on?"

"If it makes you feel more comfortable." There was genuine amusement in the Colonel's eyes. Clearly, he enjoyed giving weapons instruction.

"It does, believe me."

"Just dump a few more rounds downrange."

"Yes sir."

"Not bad, Morgan," Chuck said approvingly after Casey declared that the lesson was over.

"Dude, it was fun. I think I'll start spending more time in here."

"You won't be spending it unsupervised, numb nuts, at least for the time being. Now, clean the weapon."

"I'm on it." He opened a drawer and arranged the contents of a gun cleaning kit neatly on the workbench.

The opportunity presented itself as Morgan was busy cleaning the SIG and Casey was upstairs in his office. Chuck went in search of Sarah and found her in the main room, where she'd just checked the team's classified email inbox. He approached and embraced her from behind.

"Any news?"

"No."

"No news is good news, as they say. Casey went upstairs and Morgan's in the armory."

"Supply closet?" Sarah asked, giving him a hopeful look.

"Our private retreat awaits. Lead the way, milady." He bowed theatrically and she laughed, appreciating his attempt at humor.

-o-

Chuck was unusually quiet in the passenger seat of the Porsche as Sarah was driving back home. At first she didn't pay much attention, figuring he was about to come up with a subject for discussion. But when he remained silent after three minutes, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Chuck, is there anything bothering you?"

"Huh? Um, it's not a big deal."

"You can tell me. I might be able to help. Besides, we are a couple. We are supposed to be solving problems in our relationship together."

"It's not about us, strictly speaking." He took a deep breath. "Sarah, everyone close to us knows the truth; everyone except for Ellie."

"I know how hard it is to keep lying to her, Chuck. I don't even like it myself. I feel like I'm betraying her, while she treats me like her favorite little sister."

"The whole affair with Alex and Kathleen had me thinking. What if someone tries to take advantage of Ellie to get to Dad, me, or someone else on the team? Shouldn't Ellie know the truth, for her protection and ours?"

"Yes, what you just said actually makes sense. Tell you what, we'll contact Graham and Beckman from home and ask for their permission to tell Ellie, OK? Having a precedent will make it more difficult for them to say no."

"You think so?" He was smiling now.

"I know so." She gave him her most dazzling smile.

"Let's do it. I hope your spy will is updated, however."

"Why do you say that?"

"Only because Ellie will kill us both when we tell her the truth."

"Don't worry. I think we can get her to see reason. The trick will be to remain calm throughout her expected tantrum. How did you know about spy wills, anyway?"

"Up here," he said and tapped his head.

"Sometimes I forget all about it, Agent Bartowski."

"I seem to need it less and less, thanks to you, Agent Walker." They had stopped at a red light, so they kissed.

-o-

"You certainly make a convincing argument, Chuck," Graham said, after thinking it over.

"Yeah, I mean, c'mon, think about it. In addition, Ellie is a neurologist. She's even been recommended for a USC fellowship."

"I see where you are going," Beckman said. "Not only can she monitor you and note how the Intersect affects you, but she can also assist Dr. Roberts in her own Intersect related research."

"See? We should have brought her in from the start."

"For now we are giving you approval to tell her about your agent status, but I suggest that you leave out any mention of the Intersect, at least until she has calmed down sufficiently. As I recall you expressed fear of her possible reactions."

"Yeah, kind of. I mean, we wouldn't want her to kill me outright, would we?"

"I just thought of something. Maybe Stephen could help as well," Sarah suggested.

"Awesome could also help keep it contained."

"Do whatever you think is necessary. Good luck and keep us informed," Graham said and signed off.

"Are you feeling better now, Chuck?" Sarah asked.

"I feel a lot better, thanks."

"Leave Ellie to me. I'll think of a way to break the news to her. I'll even let her smack me around a bit, if it'll help."

"No, Sarah, I can't let you do that. If she has to rough anyone up, it will be me," he declared. "It's not like she hasn't done it before," he added, his voice a mere whisper. Sarah however, had sharp ears.

"What did you just say?"

"Sarah, relax. It was years ago. We were just kids back then and she's the older one. Do the math."

"Oh. In any case, I'll let her know that nobody kicks my boyfriend's ass but me."

"You are a twisted creature sometimes, Sarah Walker. But this is only one of the reasons I love you so much." As they were kissing, they heard a key in the door. Morgan was finally back, with Alex.

"Chuck, Sarah, we're home," he called.

"We heard you come in, buddy."

"Anyone hungry?" Alex asked. Sarah's stomach grumbled, reminding her that she needed food after all the exercise she'd had earlier at the Castle dojo. Chuck heard it.

"What did you bring?"

"Cheeseburgers, what else, dude?" Morgan replied. Sarah was in the kitchen in a flash. She was drooling the second Morgan opened the package containing a medium rare cheeseburger, with extra pickles.

"I'll get the beer," Chuck said. Within minutes, they were enjoying their dinner.

"Don't even think about it," Sarah said threateningly, slapping her boyfriend's hand away as he reached for a stray pickle on her plate. Nobody got between a hungry Sarah Walker and her food. Then, she snatched it and wolfed it down. "Mmmmm," she purred in satisfaction.

"Chuck, be careful, dude, or she'll bite your hand off."

"It's a risk I have to take, since I'm living with a tigress." It was a fitting description for Sarah and it had stuck. She just smiled and leaned into him. She didn't see him snatch another pickle, but she did snap it up eagerly when he dangled it in front of her. Yeah, he loved feeding this animal.

When they finished their dinner, Morgan took Chuck aside for a quick talk, while the girls were clearing away the dishes and stacking them in the dishwasher.

"Chuck, you know what day it is tomorrow, don't you?" Morgan whispered conspiratorially.

"Huh? It's just another workday."

"I swear, Casey's right to call you a Moron sometimes," Morgan said with an exasperated sigh. "It's V-Day!"

"Shit! I totally forgot!"

"That's why I'm here, to remind you of stuff you forget."

"I appreciate it, but me and you will have to find a way to make it as romantic as possible for Sarah and Alex respectively, without problems with space utilization."

"I have it all covered."

"You do?"

"I have it on good authority that Kathleen won't be home tomorrow, so Alex and I will stay there."

"Leaving the coast clear for me and Sarah here. Thanks buddy! You took a weight off of me."

"You are welcome. So, how about watching a movie with our girls?"

"Sure. I recall Sarah asking me about heist movies once. We can watch one of those."

"Not a bad idea… but which one?"

"Fool Proof?"

"Sounds like a winner."

"I'll go get it."

-o-

The following day appeared to be no different than any other day at work. Chuck was happily writing code for the game he was finishing, occasionally stealing glances at his watch, while Sarah and Morgan were engrossed in their usual tasks. A call from an old college friend for help presented him with the perfect opportunity to put his plan in motion. Before returning to the office after delivering the software in person, he drove to a florist's and bought a load of fresh gardenias, which he left at home, placed in strategic locations. He had also purchased chocolates and champagne. Sarah was in for a surprise after work. In addition, he'd gotten a bottle of perfectly aged Irish whiskey. With that, he would bribe Casey into doing something for him. It turned out to be the perfect incentive for him, and he immediately agreed to do as Chuck asked.

The day's work over, he drove the still unsuspecting Sarah home. Casey was already in his place. Chuck pretended to fumble for his keys and surreptitiously pressed a button on a remote hidden in his pocket. Only then did he open the door and step aside for his girlfriend to enter. She did, and immediately she got an awed expression on her face. Gardenias filled several vases. The lighting was low, scented candles were lit, a fire was burning in the fireplace, soft music was playing on the sound system, and a light dinner was already served, the champagne chilling in an ice bucket.

"Happy V-Day, Sarah," he said, coming up behind her.

"You went into all this trouble for me?"

"It was no trouble at all. It never is, not for the woman I love."

"I love you too, Chuck." She kissed him and stepped back. "I only hope you didn't forget the chocolates," she teased.

"How could I forget them?"

"We'll save them for later," she said with a foxy grin. Of course, she got a chance to reward him for his consideration and forethought after dinner, when she excused herself to go to the bathroom. She went to their room first, where she snatched some of the lingerie she'd bought in Paris and then ran to the bathroom to put it on. Needless to say, bedtime after watching a romantic comedy was quite interesting for both of them.

-o-

"Good morning team," Graham said looking at the faces of his subordinates on the screen. In addition to the usual suspects, Bryce and Jill were also attending the briefing. "I have called you all because there a matter of the utmost urgency came to our attention. We have information that a major arms deal will be going down in Los Angeles sometime this week. Your job will be to make sure it doesn't happen."

"You might also want to know that once again Alexei Volkoff is suspected of being involved," General Beckman informed them.

"Then we are either talking high tech stuff, or really big quantities," remarked Bryce.

"We believe it's the former."

"Director, are there chemical or biological weapons involved?" Jill asked.

"No, Dr. Roberts, the possibility has already been discounted. You'll be sitting out the mission in Castle, providing remote support."

"At least I'll be in good company," she replied, nodding at Morgan and wrapping an arm around Stephen's shoulders. The elder Bartowski was always treating her like a favorite niece and she was especially fond of him.

"Any idea as to when exactly this is going down?" Chuck asked.

"Our source is still trying to find the exact date, Agent Bartowski. Until then, you all remain on standby," Beckman said.

"Great! I hate long waits," Chuck grumbled as soon as the screen went blank.

"It's not like you'll be idle, man," Bryce said, trying to cheer his friend up.

"Damn right I won't. I have a game to finish." He got up and went to take the elevator to his office.

"Chuck, wait for me!" Sarah said and ran after him. Morgan smiled at Casey and just resisted the temptation to ask about how his V-Day was. Thanks to a certain petite brunette, he knew who Casey had spent the day with. He was happy for them both, too. Plus, it made Alex happy to see her parents finally back together and trying to make it work this time, which in turn made him even happier. For the moment, before leaving for his office, he took Bryce to the small lounge and gave him a package containing some of Chuck's games. Bryce had not managed to find them in the stores, not after the holiday rush and he was grateful to his friends for making sure he got them. Star agent or not, he still enjoyed good computer games, a legacy of his high school and college years.

Nothing happened for the rest of the day, which suited Chuck just fine, since in the evening he had to go to the airport and drive his sister and her husband, who were back from their brief honeymoon, home. Sarah had insisted on accompanying him and naturally Ellie was happy to see her again. The bear hug she gave her was proof enough. Chuck and Sarah then exchanged meaningful looks. All they needed now was to find a way to come clean to Ellie.

"I got good news," Chuck told Devon while they were unloading the luggage from the car. The girls had already gone inside.

"Let's hear it, bro."

"Sarah and I managed to get our bosses to give us permission to tell Ellie everything. They agreed that she can help as a medical contractor, like you."

"Awesome! I won't have to keep lying to her!"

"Yes. Basically, all we need now is find a way to tell her."

"That might be a problem."

"I know. I mean, who would want a homicidally mad Ellie on their case?" Chuck asked. Devon couldn't agree more, but before he could verbalize it, Chuck's phone beeped. "Crap!"

"Duty calls, right Chuckster?"

"Yes. Sarah and I have to be going." Inside, they made an excuse about leaving Ellie and Devon to get a good rest after their long trip home, while they would go out for a drive.

-o-

"The deal is scheduled for tomorrow night at the Grand Ambassador," Graham said, kicking off the briefing.

"Any ideas as to the items involved?" Casey asked.

"That's for you to ascertain, Colonel," Beckman replied.

"Who's the buyer?" Sarah asked.

"The buyer has been identified as this man, Heinrich Dressler." A picture of a bearded man appeared on one screen. "Chuck, care to tell us about him?"

"Uh, yes General. The man's a rabid neo-Nazi. His dream is to destroy the US first, then unite Europe under a resurgent Reich before turning on Russia. In short, he's a madman."

"He can absolutely not get those weapons from Volkoff, do I make myself clear?"

"Absolutely, General," Chuck and Bryce chorused.

"We have sent you a complete briefing file. Good hunting," Graham said and ended the call.

"Chuck, let's go over Dressler's file and see if there is anything we can use to our advantage," Sarah said.

"I'm on it." He made room for her to sit down next to him.

"They are using a charity costume party at the Grand Ambassador as cover for the deal," Casey observed. "Larkin, you and I are going in as staff."

"No problem."

"Walker and the geek will go in as guests."

"Oh no," Sarah said, noticing the look Chuck was giving her. "No, no and NO!"

"Sarah, what's wrong?" Jill asked.

"It's Chuck. He heard the words 'costume party' and he's already decided on the costumes!"

"Can you blame him?" Morgan asked.

"You know what he has in mind?" Bryce asked.

"Sure I do. Sarah was fooling around with Photoshop in the office one day and made a promise photo of sorts."

"Promise photo?"

"Yes, of herself as Princess Leia and Chuck as Han Solo at Comic Con. She even told him that she wants to go to Comic Con one day."

"Jill and I were talking about going this year."

"Maybe we could go as a group; you and Jill, Chuck and Sarah and me and Alex."

"It will be fun."

"But what's Sarah's problem?" Jill insisted.

"My problem is that I can't conceal much in the way of spy gear and weapons in that outfit."

"Oh, I get it. Chuck, she's right, you know."

"I know. But, rest assured, I had another costume in mind."

"Mind letting me in on it?" Sarah asked.

"It's a surprise. It's a decent outfit, don't worry."

"I think I'll trust you on this one."

The team split up. Casey and Bryce went to the armory. Stephen took Morgan and Jill aside and briefed them on their part of the operation. Chuck and Sarah went home. Throughout the drive, she couldn't resist pestering him for hints about what her costume would be, but he remained stubbornly silent. Even the slow striptease and lap dance she performed for him in the privacy of their room didn't loosen his tongue. The naughty things she did to him with her own tongue were just as ineffective, but pleasurable nonetheless.

-o-

"I brought you your favorite breakfast," Chuck said, maneuvering a large tray onto the over bed table.

"I still wanna know what my costume is," Sarah pouted as she was reaching for a cup of coffee.

"Baby, I told you, it's a surprise. Besides, you said that you trust me. You are going to love it, too."

"I trust you, but my curiosity is piqued."

"Well then, you won't have to wait long. I'll go pick up our costumes in about an hour and a half."

"I can wait," she said, thinking it over. _Damn that adorable Chuck stubbornness_, she thought.

-o-

In Castle, Sarah, Casey and Bryce were going over some mission details when Chuck entered carrying two boxes. He took one to his locker and gave the other to Sarah. She couldn't resist opening it on the spot. It contained a beautiful white dress with a small organza rose in front and another, bigger, one in the rear, a pair of open toe heels and a brunette wig.

"Do you like it?" Chuck asked cautiously.

"I love it. But what's with the wig?"

"It's just an option. Don't wear it if you don't want to."

"I'll keep the issue open for now, maybe until I see your costume." She noticed Morgan and Bryce exchange knowing smiles and turned to face Chuck. "You told them?"

"He didn't," Morgan assured her.

"In fact, he didn't have to," Bryce added. "We recognized the dress, so guessing what costume Chuck's going to wear was easy."

"I'll just go put it in my locker."

After going over the plans of the hotel once more, Chuck, Sarah, Morgan, Stephen and Casey started working on their normal job at Orion Games and Software. All preparations for the mission were complete, so they just had to kill time until the evening and they did it very productively.

Sarah was in her office, laughing at one of Stephen's jokes as they finished the last task they had, when Chuck popped his head inside. "Time to go," he told her.

"I'll be right over." She descended to Castle and made a beeline for the ladies' locker room. There, she opened her locker and quickly stripped off her pantsuit, keeping only her underwear on. She then strapped a knife sheath and a holster with a Para Ordnance Compact P10-45 automatic to her thighs, before pulling the dress on. After taking her bra off, since it was a backless dress, she paused to admire her outfit in the mirror. It definitely looked good on her and Chuck knowing her size had certainly helped. The shoes were a perfect fit, too. Now, she was curious as to what he would be wearing, so she grabbed the wig and went to the main room.

The moment she saw Chuck, she realized why the dress had looked familiar. He was wearing a light khaki shirt and slightly darker pants under a black leather aviator's jacket, a Sam Browne belt with a pistol holster and a leather bullwhip clipped to it, and had a canvas bag slung over a shoulder. Fortunately, he hadn't seen her yet, so she retreated back into the corridor and put the wig on. She entered the main room in time to see him put a tall-crowned, wide-brimmed fedora on his head.

"I'm ready, Dr. Jones," she said.

"You look ravishing, Ms. Ravenwood," he replied.

"I had to see your costume to realize who I am supposed to be tonight." She pirouetted and Jill, as a woman, voiced her approval of the outfit. The men also seemed to like it.

"Dr. Jones, Ms. Ravenwood, your car awaits," Morgan, who was dressed in a chauffeur's uniform, said.

"Thank you, Morgan. Lead the way," Chuck said. Morgan pressed a button on a console and the Raiders' March started playing, much to everyone's amusement. Casey and Bryce also left to take up positions at the hotel.

-o-

"Welcome to the Grand Ambassador Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael," the doorman said, after checking their invitations.

"Thank you," Chuck said and proceeded inside, Sarah on his arm. A waiter happened to be passing by, so he snatched a couple of champagne flutes off his tray. "Champagne, Marion?"

"Why not, Indy?" Sarah/Marion replied gamely. "Do you see our mark?"

"Not yet, but be patient." Looking around, he spotted Casey at the bar and Bryce at the other end of the huge ballroom. They had arrived early and it was just starting to fill with people. Morgan's voice in their earpieces told them that he had parked the limousine/mobile operations center in the parking garage and was standing by, having hacked into the hotel's security feeds. Stephen and Jill confirmed reception of the feeds and communications relayed to Castle through the limo's systems.

"Got a visual on Dressler," Bryce reported about an hour later. "He just came in and he's wearing a monk's costume."

"Roger that," Casey said.

"We see him," Chuck confirmed.

"Give me a location for a visual," Morgan said.

"He's moving towards the left of the band as we see the stage," Sarah informed him.

"Got him on the cameras! I can't get audio though."

"Leave that to us, little buddy."

"Dude, can I get a better codename, like, say, Cobra?"

"Don't hog the comms, numb nuts," Casey commanded. In Castle, Jill reached over and turned the mike off, so that she and Stephen could laugh all they wanted without creating unwanted noise on the frequency. They still kept watching the premises carefully.

"A guy who's dressed like a mad scientist is talking to Dressler. I can't see what he's showing him," Stephen said

"Hold on, Dad, we'll try to take a peek." Chuck took Sarah by the arm and led her to an empty table near Dressler's. Luckily, a waiter was approaching, so, thinking fast, he drained his glass and turned to deposit it on the tray. In doing so, he casually glanced at the two marks.

_The Grand Canyon_

_The Volkoff Industries logo_

_Photos and schematics of a device_

_Instructions on its use_

_Video of a demonstration_

_Possible adaptations and uses_

_The Grand Canyon_

"Chuck?"

"Yes, Sarah, I flashed. Guys, I've got bad news. Dressler is going to buy a portable EMP generator from Volkoff."

"What are the specs, Chuck?" Jill asked.

"It's a small handheld device. With its own battery, it can generate an EMP powerful enough to shut down everything within a three block radius. If connected to a bigger power source and an amplifier and activated at medium altitude, it can conceivably black out a city the size of New York. The whole system can also be fitted to missiles. Volkoff Industries sell a specially made long range turbojet powered variant of the old Styx missile with a new and stealthy outer shell, tailored for land attack. Dad, do a search on your terminal and see if you have anything to add."

"Stand by, son." Stephen moved to the Intersect terminal and typed a few commands. "You pretty much covered it. I have nothing worthwhile to add."

"We need to get that device, Walker," Casey said.

"I know," she replied. "Dressler can't be allowed to go through with this."

"He could be getting the device to try it himself before purchasing the full package," Bryce added.

"We'll stop him," Chuck said confidently and Sarah just squeezed his hand in agreement.

"They are leaving, heads up!" Casey warned. "Walker, Bartowski, follow Dressler if he has the device."

"He's got it," Chuck confirmed.

"What about the scientist?" Sarah asked. She was watching him leave first.

"Stopping Dressler from playing with his new toy is our first priority right now," Chuck said. They stayed behind, waiting for the German to leave so that they could follow him.

"I'll get the scientist," Morgan piped up. "He's coming my way."

"Morgan, no! You are not yet trained for this!" Chuck was understandably worried about his best friend's safety.

"Pffft, it was easy. I got him."

"Huh? How did you do that?"

"I had taken a tranq gun from Castle, since Casey wouldn't give me a real gun yet. I'll just stuff him in the trunk and the cleaners can take it from there."

"Well done, Morgan," Casey said, impressed.

"Thanks."

The four agents discreetly followed Dressler, who had in the meantime taken off his costume revealing the suit he was wearing underneath it, to an office building and saw him enter the parking garage after meeting with five of his men. They left Bryce to cover the vehicle exit until Morgan could bring the limo over and snuck into an alley. Sarah disabled the alarm and picked the lock of the garage emergency exit. Bryce joined them when he saw Morgan park across the street. Casey drew his gun and entered first, followed by Bryce, Chuck and Sarah. She had her Compact .45 out, while Chuck had a tranq gun in his hand, while Bryce covered the rear with his own gun.

They approached Dressler and his goons, moving in a loose semicircle formation, using parked cars for cover. Unfortunately, someone had carelessly tossed an empty can of soda on the garage floor, and it was virtually invisible, hidden in the shadow of a hulking SUV. As he was moving to secure the flank, Bryce accidentally kicked it with his foot. The metallic noise was amplified by the concrete walls and pillars of the garage.

"Achtung," one of Dressler's men yelled.

"Feuer, schnell!" Dressler commanded, realizing he'd been made. A torrent of automatic gunfire from suppressed submachine guns was unleashed in Bryce's direction. Casey and Sarah brought their guns up and tried to suppress the hostile fire and allow Bryce to move to another position. They dropped one of the shooters and Chuck tranqed another before the rest took cover. Dressler himself was running for the elevator.

"He's getting away! Cover me!" Bryce yelled and took off after him. Sarah and Casey intensified their fire, killing another one of Dressler's bodyguards, who had unwisely exposed himself to shoot. Of the five men Dressler had in the beginning, two were left standing. A fourth went down quickly with a tranquilizer dart sticking out of his ass, courtesy of Chuck. The last one did not like the odds and decided to run, but first he had to cover his escape.

"Grenade!" Sarah yelled, seeing a dark object land near her and Chuck. "Run!" She roughly shoved him out of the way and behind a concrete pillar. If gunfire was loud in the confines of the underground garage, the explosion of the grenade was deafening. Sarah was caught by the blast shockwave before she could take cover. Fortunately, it was a concussion and not a fragmentation grenade. Casey and Bryce, who had caught Dressler and knocked him out with a hard kick, emptied their magazines at the last gunman, killing him. His ears ringing from the blast, Chuck emerged from cover to look at the scene. Several cars had been damaged and broken glass was everywhere. His heart almost stopped when he saw Sarah lying motionless on the concrete floor.

"Agent down! Casey, call an ambulance," he said and ran to his fallen girlfriend. The Intersect kicked in and provided all the first aid instructions he needed. The CIA paramedics and a cleaner team arrived a couple of minutes later. Sarah, still unconscious, was loaded in the ambulance and taken to the nearest hospital, which happened to be Westside Medical. On the way, Casey instructed Bryce to keep out of sight and together with Chuck concocted a cover story for Sarah's injury.

Both Ellie and Devon happened to be on ER duty that night. When they saw the paramedics wheel Sarah in on a gurney, they immediately took over. Devon knew that something had gone wrong on a mission, but Ellie believed the accident story they told her. Casey also called Sarah's parents and told Jack about her being hurt, but reassuringly added that she was in good hands and asked him to keep calm and say nothing about her other job. He and Katie arrived in less than twenty minutes and Devon took it upon himself to calm them down.

-o-

"Katie, she's going to be fine. She just took a bad spill, that's all," Ellie said. She had already checked the results of Sarah's tests and knew it was nothing too serious.

"Oh, I'm not worried. Devon already gave us a rundown on her condition. Besides, Walkers are pretty hard-headed and my daughter is no exception," Katie said. "But she's not going to be the easiest patient once she wakes up."

"Thanks for the warning, but I can handle her."

"She can," Chuck confirmed. "Take Jack and go get some rest. I'll stay and keep an eye on her."

"Where is Jack, anyway?"

"Last I saw him, he was with my Dad and Devon. Try looking for them at the cafeteria."

"I will, thanks Chuck." Katie left to find the others.

"Sis, mind if I leave you alone with Sarah for a few minutes? I need to go to the little boys' room."

"Take your time. My shift is over anyway, so I can stay and watch over her."

"You are an angel, sis, but you and Devon should go home. Well, I'll talk to you in a minute."

Sarah slowly floated back to consciousness. Her vision was blurred and her head hurt. It was slightly worse than the hangover she'd gotten after Ellie's bachelorette party. Her first thought was _I'm never drinking again_. Then she noticed her surroundings, the hospital gown she was wearing and the IV drip in her arm and remembered everything. She shot upright.

"Chuck!" The sudden movement caused her to see stars.

"Sarah, take it easy." Ellie put her arms on Sarah's shoulders and tried to gently push her back down.

"Where is Chuck, is he OK?"

"Chuck is fine, Sarah, he just went to the little boys' room and he'll be right back," Ellie said soothingly. Sarah just hugged her and breathed deeply in relief.

"Hey, you're awake," Chuck said from the door.

"Chuck!"

"I'm right here, baby." He sat down on the bed next to her. She let go of Ellie and latched on to him.

"Take me home, Chuck."

"I would advise against it," Ellie said. She was a bit baffled as to why Sarah had been so worried about Chuck. A fleeting thought passed through her mind, that they were not telling her everything.

"Am I fit to go home?" Sarah insisted.

"You've only got a couple of cuts and scrapes, some bumps and bruises and a mild concussion, nothing worrying, but I strongly suggest you remain here for observation, at least for today." Ellie said patiently.

"Screw it, I'm going home."

"Your Mom was right. You are a very difficult patient, but then again I already knew that."

"My Mom's here?"

"I sent her and your Dad home."

"OK. Where are my clothes?"

"Morgan went to get you a change of clothes from home," Chuck said, giving her some water.

"Ellie, do I have any forms to sign?"

"You are not going to change your mind, are you?"

"No."

"Fine. Devon and I can take care of you at home just as well. Wait here."

-o-

Finally, Sarah signed an AMA form, Ellie helped her put on the clothes Morgan had brought and Casey drove them home. There, Chuck helped her change into her PJs and got her in bed.

"Ellie, Sarah's asking for you. We have to tell you something," Chuck said. Sarah had talked him into coming clean to Ellie, although he had reservations about doing it so soon after one of them had been injured and justifiably so. Ellie followed him to his room and saw that Stephen, Devon, Morgan and Casey were already there.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Ellie, please sit down," Sarah began. "There is no other way to say it, but things are not as they seem."

"Why, what do you mean?"

"Sis, I want you to listen and if you have to take it out on someone, be mad at me."

"I'm listening." Her eyes widened with shock as the others told her everything about Sarah and Casey being Agents, about the Intersect, about Chuck having become an Agent, the truth about Stephen and why they had kept it all from her.

"El, babe, please say something," Devon said when they finished. His wife just sat there, slack jawed in astonishment.

"You knew, Devon?"

"He and Morgan found out by accident just before the holidays. I ordered him to keep it secret from you," Chuck said, trying to protect Devon.

"And you," Ellie said, glaring at Sarah, who shrank in the bed and lowered her head.

"Sis…"

"Let me finish, Chuck. From what I gather, you were his cover girlfriend, huh?"

"Yes," Sarah mumbled. "Until just before the holidays, when I finally gave in and admitted my feelings for your brother."

"You made him even happier, Sarah. I could never hold it against you, because I could always see you were madly in love with him." She put an arm around the blonde and smiled. "The rest of you are still in hot water."

"Ellie, if you have to blame someone, blame me," Bryce said, coming into the room through the Morgan Door. Jill, following behind him, went to Sarah and held her hand.

"Bryce, aren't you supposed to be dead?" Ellie asked dumbly. They had forgotten to mention that he was alive and well.

"Supposed, as opposed to actually being dead," he laughed. "Seriously now, I sent this thing to your brother, so you can take it all out on me."

"He had no other choice, Ellie," Chuck said, bumping fists with Bryce.

"We'll get back to that. Right now, I can't believe I'm the last to learn about this."

"Honey, you seem to be taking it pretty well."

"Devon, whoever had the bright idea for all of you to gang up on me today was brilliant. It worked. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed right now. But, Chuck, I can't protect you like I promised Dad if you keep doing this."

"You don't have to protect me any more, sis. It's my turn now to protect you and all those I care about."

"He's right," Stephen said. "You've done your part."

"Why tell me now?"

"Ellie, Chuck was feeling bad about lying to you. We all were, especially since my family and Casey's family know about our other jobs. He got our bosses to agree that you can help as part of the team's medical staff," Sarah said.

"I'll do it. You'll need to give me something to work with first."

"Leave that to me," Stephen said. "I can give you some data to play with."

"Thanks Dad." She looked at each one of them in turn and smiled. "For the life of me I could never guess that sweet little Alex is actually your daughter, John."

"Uh, well…"

"She's a fine young woman."

"Thanks."

"Which brings us to the million dollar question: Who else in my life is a spy? Is Mom a spy too, Dad?" The last part was said mostly jokingly.

"Yes."

"What?" She had been joking, so the shock at getting an affirmative answer was rather big.

"Mom is a spy?" Chuck asked, equally shocked.

"Oh boy," Stephen said. "Calm down, kids. It's a long story, but I'll do my best to answer your questions."

-o-

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

**A/N:** Don't worry, you won't have to wait long for the next update.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N:** As promised, the update did not take long. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 29 – The Story of the Frost Queen**

There was a moment of silence after Stephen offered to explain everything about Mary Elizabeth Bartowski to his children. Then Casey spoke up.

"We'll leave you to talk. Bryce, Jill, Morgan, follow me. I have good whiskey, cold beer and we can order pizza."

"Devon, stay, your wife needs you here," Stephen said. "Morgan, you can stay too."

"Thanks. Mrs. B was always like a second mother to me."

"Are you guys sure you want to leave?" Ellie asked. "Dad may have some interesting information to share with you." Chuck and Sarah exchanged looks. Ellie was thinking almost like a spy.

"Walker can tell us later." With that, Casey nodded and led Bryce and Jill out the Morgan Door and back to his apartment.

"Um, shouldn't we have this discussion later, after Sarah has gotten some rest?" Morgan asked.

"I'm fine," Sarah said.

"Oh. Well than, I'll go make us something to eat. Any preferences?"

"You can bring popcorn and something to drink," Stephen replied.

"Popcorn, Dad? Seriously?"

"Yes, son, the story has some rather entertaining parts."

"Don't start without me," Morgan said and scooted off to the kitchen. Ellie decided to use the time to check up on Sarah. She and Devon quickly evaluated her condition and declared that she was doing well. Devon also gave her an icepack for her sprained left wrist, until then her most overlooked injury from the mission.

Morgan soon came back with two large and two smaller bowls of freshly made popcorn and a couple of two-liter Coke bottles, plus glasses. Keeping one of the smaller bowls for himself, he gave the other to Stephen, the large ones to the couples present and then passed the glasses around. Sarah snuggled closer to Chuck as Stephen cleared his throat and began telling the story.

"Once upon a time, there was a young engineer. He had very ambitious ideas and needed a partner to help finance making them a reality. Unfortunately, said partner was unscrupulous and ended up stealing his inventions from him."

"Ted Roark," Chuck explained. "Since Fulcrum's demise, Dad reclaimed his patents."

"Anyway," Stephen continued, "he still believed that he could do a lot of good, so he went to the government with a proposal for a revolutionary computer system – the Intersect. Obviously, the government accepted the offer and agreed to finance his research. The CIA was initially given project oversight, the NSA being brought in later."

"So, that's when you were given the Orion codename, right Dad?" Ellie asked.

"Yes. In due course, the CIA decided that Orion was too valuable and needed protection, close protection. Back then he was completely ignorant of the workings of the spy world, content to play with hardware and write software. The Director of Central Intelligence decided to assign one of his best young agents as Orion's handler. That Agent was Mary Elizabeth Frost."

"So, that's how you met Mom."

"Yes, son, I first met her during a conference with the DCI in Langley and learned that she was to watch over me."

"How did you get along?" Sarah asked.

"Not too well at first. A cocky, headstrong engineer and a by-the-book agent looked like a match made in hell. I wanted freedom of movement, while she wanted control over every aspect of my life. In short, we tended to drive each other nuts."

"Like Chuck and I used to do on occasion." Sarah looked lovingly at her boyfriend, who gave her a quick kiss.

"In between arguing all the time and sometimes having bad fights, we realized that we were beginning to fall for each other. She had certain qualities I admired in her and she was getting to understand me. So, I just turned up the charm and eventually she succumbed to it. Sounds familiar, yes?"

"It does," Chuck admitted and pulled Sarah closer.

"Given the stupid agent/asset rules, we had to be very careful. In time, we developed our relationship further and when I was promoted to a hybrid agent/contractor status, the official barriers to our relationship disappeared, so I proposed to her. A year later, we had a beautiful little girl, Eleanor Faye Bartowski."

"Did Mom still go on missions?" Ellie asked.

"She resumed going on missions when you turned two. After another hiatus when Charles was born, she went back to work, only this time it was for missions pertinent to her original assignment with me, or short ones that did not require her to be away from her husband and children for long."

"So, what happened and she left?"

"One of those missions went awry. Nobody has the full details, but I got a message from Mary saying that her cover had been compromised and she would have to go off grid."

"I used to think that she left because of me," Chuck said. "I accidentally broke her favorite necklace a couple of days before she left on her mission."

"Mom loved that necklace. I wanted to kill you for breaking it."

"I remember, sis."

"I was working on improving the Intersect all that time. One day, Chuck snuck into my lab and downloaded a test version while playing with my computer."

"I don't recall anything about it."

"You didn't know what it was and I didn't tell you. But I realized you are special, son, just like I told you back then. So far you have absorbed three downloads and two updates with no ill effects. It certainly beats my one download and its incremental updates."

"You are an Intersect, too?"

"I tested the computer on myself. I was young and stupid back then, but it helped, as it turned out."

"What was her codename? I can do a search in the CIA database for her," Sarah said.

"Since you ask, little Valkyrie, Mary's codename was Frost. It was a smart thing, using her maiden name as a codename, come to think of it."

"Did you say 'Frost', Dad? Oh, crap!"

"Chuck, what is it?"

"Sarah, do you remember the mission at the Costa Gravan consulate?"

"Yes, why…? Oh, fuck!" No one could ever recall hearing Sarah swear, so they were mildly shocked and mightily interested. "When Goya told us that he'd purchased missiles from Volkoff, he also mentioned a woman codenamed Frost as being one of Volkoff's associates."

"Mrs. B went rogue?" Morgan asked.

"I don't think so. We must get more information. Right now, I want all of you to get some rest. Tomorrow, we have a lot of work to do." Stephen then led Ellie, Devon and Morgan out of the room, leaving Chuck and Sarah alone.

"Ellie, wait!" Chuck said and took off after his sister.

"What is it?"

"I need to ask you something. Should I wake Sarah up periodically tonight to see if she's responds properly to external stimuli?"

"The usefulness of this practice is still being debated in medical circles. Do what you want."

"OK, thanks sis."

"Goodnight Chuck."

"Goodnight guys."

-o-

"My Mom is a spy, I can't believe it…"

"Chuck, at least you know she left to keep you and Ellie safe, just like your Dad did," Sarah said, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest. "Now, try to get some sleep. We can both use some rest."

"You're right."

"And don't you dare wake me up in the middle of the night. I heard you talk to Ellie. You know how cranky I get when my beauty sleep is interrupted for no good reason."

He smiled at her attempt at humor. "Sure thing, honey," he said and lightly kissed her. She closed her eyes and made herself comfortable against him. She was asleep in minutes. Chuck could see the small smile on her lips as she held him like an oversized teddy bear.

Casa Walkertowski/Grimes was more crowded than usual in the morning. In addition to Morgan, Stephen and the Woodcombs, Jack and Katie were there to see how their daughter was doing. Katie insisted on making a hearty breakfast for all of them. She and Jack were relieved to see that Sarah was doing fine. Casey also dropped by to inform his team mates of the debriefing details and add that Graham and Beckman sent Sarah their best wishes.

"Mom, breakfast was great," Sarah said. "Thanks."

"Morgan helped, a lot."

"It was all you, Mrs. Walker. All I did was to give you the stuff you asked for."

"You lay out a good spread," Casey said appreciatively.

"So, Dad, what are we going to do today?" Chuck asked Stephen.

"You are going to stay at home and look after your girlfriend," Ellie said, her tone daring him and Sarah to argue.

"But I'm fine," Sarah protested.

"You need to rest. So, no workout, no computers, very little TV and no housework for you today, do you get it, young lady?"

"I get it," Sarah replied, sufficiently intimidated.

"Can I at least take her for a drive, Eleanor?" Stephen asked.

"If it's a short drive, yes."

"Good. In fact, I want all of you to come along and that includes you, John."

"What about Katie and me?" Jack asked.

"I'm about to show the others some pretty classified stuff, so you'll have to sit this one out, I'm afraid."

"No problem, Stephen."

"Sarah, is there anything you want me to do here?" Katie asked.

"No thanks, Mom. The place is squared away. Go and have a good time with Dad, since it's your day off."

"You just be careful, baby girl."

"I won't be driving, so no need to worry."

-o-

"Dad, that's… that's…"

"Our old house," Ellie finished the sentence.

"Didn't you sell it before we moved to Echo Park, babe?" Devon asked.

"I bought it back," Stephen said. "Of course, I had to hide the fact, so ownership was transferred several times on paper to my various aliases and to shell companies that I set up."

"This place brings back memories…"

"It does, son. Well, I live here now."

"So this is where you disappear to. But you spend most of your time with me or with Ellie."

"Of course I do, Charles. I missed you both and I want to make up for the lost time. Plus, working for your company is fun." Stephen led them all inside. Until then Casey had remained silent, but did a classic double take when Stephen flicked a light switch up and down, the clicks sounding like the letter M in Morse code, and the fireplace split apart to reveal a hidden corridor. "Welcome to my secret base," Stephen said. The basement hideout was huge. Rows upon rows of shelves filled the place.

"Hi-oh," Chuck squeaked, looking at the various file boxes and pieces of computers and spy gear neatly stored in there.

"It's time for you to learn something about me. Ever since I dropped off grid, I've been working as a self employed spy with only one aim: find Mary and bring her home."

"You have a lot of intel here that we can use," Casey said.

"I am going to give you unlimited access to it, John."

"On behalf of the NSA, thank you. Personally, I will do everything it takes to help you find your wife."

"Same goes for me," Sarah said.

"Ditto," Devon added.

"Count me in," Morgan said.

"Let's do this," Ellie said firmly.

-o-

While Stephen was showing Casey some files, and Ellie was upstairs giving Devon the grand tour, Chuck and Sarah were sitting with Morgan in the work area of the basement.

"Dude, I meant to ask you, why did you choose the Marion Ravenwood outfit for Sarah yesterday?"

"Are you asking because both the other women in Indiana Jones' life happened to be blondes?"

"Yes."

"They were both blondes, like Sarah, but they were not Marion. She was the love of his life, just like Sarah is the love of my life."

"Thank you, Chuck," she said.

"I get it man, good call."

"Hey, what's this?" Chuck picked up a small electronic device.

"I didn't know Mr. B likes to play on a PSP."

"He's a Bartowski," Chuck shrugged. "He customized it, too. I think he won't mind if I play with it for a while."

"My Nerd," Sarah said. Chuck switched it on, but instead of booting up and loading a game, it started flashing. Chuck could not take his eyes off of the display and when it ended he was slightly disoriented.

"Chuck, dude, what happened?" Morgan asked.

"Stephen!" Sarah yelled. "Come here!"

"What is it, Sarah?"

"Something happened to Chuck!"

"Son, are you OK?"

"I think so, Dad. I wanted to play with your PSP, but…"

"Dammit! This was an Intersect blocker! I had made it in case Fulcrum succeeded in perfecting an Intersect."

"Huh?"

"Right now you won't be able to access the Intersect."

"He's right." Chuck had tried repeatedly to call up some of his Intersect skills, but it wouldn't activate.

"Can you fix it? Chuck won't be as good an agent without it, at least not until we train him better."

"I have a de-blocker program somewhere down here. I'll just have to find it."

"Right. Until then, no missions for you, Chuck."

"Sarah…"

"I'm serious, Chuck. I can't risk something happening to you because you can't access your special skills."

"She's right, Moron," Casey said. "You can still fight without it, given that you've learned a lot just by using it, plus all your training, but you won't be at the same level as before."

"No need to worry, people, I found it," Stephen said, holding up an Orion laptop.

"What do I need to do, Dad?"

"Just wait until we all turn away and press enter."

"OK." He did as instructed and looked at the images on the screen. When they stopped, he fell flat on his back.

"Chuck?" Sarah asked, worried. He concentrated, flashed and jumped up.

"Guys, I know kung-fu, again."

"From now on, don't touch anything without asking me first, you got it, son? You don't want me to mess with your games and I don't want you messing with my toys down here."

"OK, Dad."

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him," Sarah promised, trying hard not to laugh. Stephen nodded and showed them a box marked 'Mary Elizabeth Bartowski – Missing'.

"This is what I have on Mary."

"Can we take it home for study, Dad?"

"Be my guest."

Chuck picked up the box and carried it to his car, which was parked next to Stephen's jeep and Casey's Crown Vic. Then, he took Sarah inside and showed her his old room. They just sat there and she listened to stories about his childhood. She really liked the part about Mary reading from the Frost Queen storybook to her son at bedtime.

-o-

Back home, following several hours of going over tons of intel, Morgan cooked a delicious dinner. Later, after Alex had declined dessert and gone to spend some time with her parents across the courtyard, he revealed his surprise for the evening.

"It looks delicious," Sarah said, licking her lips in happy anticipation.

"And long overdue," Morgan added knowledgeably.

"At least this time it's for a better occasion than the first one."

"What do you mean?"

"Sarah, when my Mom left, Morgan came over to our old house. We split a cherry cheesecake, like this one, and played Legend of Zelda all night long. Keep in mind that we were just a couple of eight year olds at the time."

"I think it was sweet and very brotherly."

"This cheesecake is even better," Morgan boasted.

"Don't just stand there, bring it here," she said.

"I'll get a knife," Chuck said. Morgan had brought plates and spoons, but no knife.

"That won't be necessary." Sarah drew one of her knives from an ankle sheath.

"That's awesome," Chuck said. "And a little disturbing." They all laughed. He gave her a funny look, as she wasn't supposed to carry weapons, at least not for that day. Ellie had said something about the concussion affecting her hand-eye coordination. Nevertheless, he took the knife from her.

"Do you want a small piece or a big piece?"

"Definitely a big piece," she replied.

"To finding Mrs. B," Morgan said.

"Hear, hear. To getting my Mom back," Chuck added.

"This will be our new mission," Sarah agreed.

-o-

"Where did you get all the information you gave me, Moron?" Casey asked. Three days had passed since Stephen revealed the truth about his wife. During that time, Chuck, Sarah and Morgan were busily searching for clues as to what had happened twenty years ago, keeping it secret from their superiors. Casey had agreed to help.

"Since we knew Chuck's mom was a CIA agent, he and I hacked into the database for any information we could find," Sarah said.

"You _hacked _into the database? Do you know how deep the shit you're in is? I expected you to exercise better judgment, Walker."

"Technically, we didn't hack into the database," Chuck said. "All the necessary access protocols and codes are in the Intersect, so it was an authorized entry into the system to access information."

*grunt* (Whatever) "What did you find?"

"Not much; just a report saying my Mom was missing and presumed captured."

"We also found the reference to Project Isis, which she must have been working on at the time. What did you come up with?"

"My source was able to locate the file for Project Isis." He handed them a folder.

"Did you read it?"

"Yes. It's not a pretty picture, Chuck."

"Meaning?"

"He's right. Project Isis was canceled after Agent Frost went rogue," Sarah said. "I'm so sorry, Chuck."

"No, I can't believe Mom would do such a thing. You have to trust me, Sarah."

"Maybe she didn't," she said, after reading more of the Project Isis file's contents.

"Please explain, Walker. The file was pretty clear on everything."

"It's not what it says; it's how you read it. And the way I read it, this report screams cover-up for a black op."

"So the CIA disavowed my Mom…"

"Only on paper," Sarah confirmed. "The wording is unmistakable." She glanced at the signature. "Not to mention that the agent who wrote this report was the mentor of an instructor at the Farm when I was in training. He taught my class how to write ambiguous reports like this one. Only someone who knew what to look for could read between the lines. My old instructor used to quote him all the time."

"Shouldn't we tell Graham and Beckman?"

"Not yet, Casey. We need more information. Right now all we have is Sarah's assessment and we can't afford to get shot down by our bosses, so they'll have to be kept in the dark for now. I wonder if we can get in touch with this agent."

"That's not possible. He died years ago."

"What was his name?"

"It was Andrew Harper."

"I flashed on him. He's dead, all right. He had a heart attack in his office. Can't your old instructor take a look at the report and confirm your assessment?"

"We can't risk bringing more people in on what is essentially a rogue side mission, Chuck."

"Yeah, can't your noggin tell you that, Moron?"

"OK, OK, I get it. What do you suggest?"

"We treat the report as red herring, like Walker said, but we have to be very careful. Then we try to ascertain why all this was necessary."

"At least we know where to find her. I wonder how she ended up with Volkoff."

"We'll ask her when we meet her, Chuck," Sarah said confidently.

"I think we can call it a night. Bartowski, Walker, see you tomorrow," Casey said.

"Goodnight Casey."

"I hope you are right about my Mom, Sarah," he told her as they were getting ready for bed.

"It's the only fitting explanation. Remember, her last message to Stephen said that her cover had been compromised. This is just a guess, Volkoff could have made her and offer and she took it and went off the grid in order to survive. I would have probably done the same in her place."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it," she yawned. "Now, try and get some sleep. We'll start digging again in the morning."

-o-

"Your information certainly confirms the hunch I had all those years, that Mary was somehow involved with Volkoff Industries," Stephen said. "Some of the leads I found pointed at him, but I had nothing concrete, until you mentioned the connection with Goya. Thanks to you, we now know exactly where to look."

"And since Volkoff is a target for both the CIA and the NSA, we can turn it into a legitimate mission."

"It's a win-win situation," Sarah smiled.

"I wouldn't get so cocky yet, Walker. All Graham is going to see at first is the report documenting the failure of Project Isis. And if I know him and the General, they will not hesitate to put a sanction on Frost."

"Damn! He's right!"

"Sarah, we can't let that happen!"

"We won't, Chuck."

"Volkoff Industries is a huge organization. Where do we begin?" Morgan asked.

"Remember what Goya said. She's a close associate of Volkoff's."

"So we skip the bottom and head straight for the top."

"That's the idea, Morgan."

"Bartowski, take a look at this," Casey said.

"What is it?"

"It's a list of all the failed ventures by Volkoff over the last twenty years."

"The earliest all resulted in a number of low-level operations disrupted by the CIA, Interpol and other agencies. The importance of the busts increased exponentially over the years."

"Strange that the Costa Gravas missile sale went as planned," Casey mused.

"Those missiles were no threat to the stability of the region. Their short range made them a purely defensive weapon, given the geography."

"I think you are right, Bartowski. Do you see a pattern here?"

"Yes, I do. The leaks leading to the busts seem to have come from the customers' side, not Volkoff's. Wait, do you think my Mom blew the deals and was just covering her tracks?"

"She seems to be the common denominator," Sarah said, after reading the list and the description of the operations. "She started blowing small operations, like sales of surface to air missiles and small arms to terrorist groups, progressing to disrupting the sale of weapons of mass destruction as she moved up the ranks."

"Look at this… Immediately after Desert Storm, Volkoff was suspected of having purchased quantities of chemical weapons from Saddam Hussein's regime with the intent to resell them. They were destroyed when the ship carrying them to a remote storage facility in the Pacific caught fire and sank."

"I am willing to bet it was your mother's work, Chuck. She must have used special incendiary bombs to burn the substances without causing an explosion that would release them into the atmosphere," Casey said.

"It fits. Here, read this," Stephen said. He had dug up an old article on the sinking of the Panamanian flagged MV El Dorado back in 1992. "According to the article, the fire started in a cargo hold and spread rapidly to the other holds. The ship was ablaze for days, before the fire burned itself out. The hull plates then cooled and contracted, bursting their seams and letting the sea water flood in and sink her. The sunken wreck became the object of study by a scientific team investigating the environmental impact of burnt-out shipwrecks."

"Ten to one that the scientific team was actually a Volkoff recovery crew trying to find if any of the cargo had survived and salvage it," Chuck guessed.

"Not unlikely, especially considering a serious equipment failure on their ship when it called in Karachi for provisioning before the expedition began. It must have been Mary's handiwork again."

"It's entirely plausible. Mom was never one to do things halfway."

"So now we have ammunition to defend her before Graham and Beckman, should the need arise. Granted, it's mostly circumstantial, but there are just too many coincidences to be just coincidences," Morgan said. "In fact, I wonder why nobody made a connection before us."

"It could be a number of reasons. Frost's M.O. is to pin all responsibility for the failure of the deals on the customers to ward off suspicion, from what I gather," Casey answered Morgan's question. "Plus, those successes do not all belong to the CIA. Take a look at the files. CIA, FSB, French Secret Service, MI6, Interpol, Europol, even the Belarusian KGB were involved at one time or another. No one made the connection before, because they didn't have the full picture."

"And maybe Mary didn't go to work for Volkoff from the start. There was a connection, there is no doubt in my mind about it, but it could have been a while before he took her on board."

"I think you are right, Dad. Now for the difficult question: what do we tell Ellie?" Chuck said.

"Tell her the truth," Casey butted in. "The way things are now, she's part of the team and, like Chuck and Stephen here, she has a special interest in the case."

"It's the best option," Sarah agreed.

-o-

"Let me get this straight, Chuck. At first you guys thought Mom may have been dirty."

"It looked like that, superficially I might add, sis."

"But then we managed to read between the lines and as it turned out your mom is undermining the bad guys' business from the inside," Sarah said.

"It's a classic deep cover black op," Casey added.

"So, what do you want me to do?"

"Just leave the spy stuff to us, Ellie. You'll have enough to play with anyway, namely what's in my head." A few hours earlier, Sarah and Chuck had taken Ellie to a CIA approved medical lab, where she subjected her brother to various scans and tests.

"Uh-huh. Give me that sort of thing and I'm happy as a pig in mud."

"What's your initial estimate, Eleanor?" Stephen asked.

"There were spikes in brain wave activity when he flashed…"

"She asked me to."

"I can do without the interruptions, thank you. As I was saying, the spikes do not exceed normal peak values, nor does their duration have any adverse effect on the brain. The adrenaline surge and increased heart rate are in no way abnormal, at least from what I am able to ascertain. They are certainly within normal levels. I need to test Dad as well to have something to compare your results to."

"It won't work. Charles has the latest version. Mine is the humble old 1.0 and it doesn't come with an expansion pack."

"Won't the intel flashes be similar, Dad?"

"I think so, but they will have to be induced. With very few exceptions, the user can't access the 1.0 information at will."

"We'll leave the issue open for now. Chuck, what are you and Sarah laughing about, did I say anything funny?"

"Uh, actually, Ellie, Chuck was telling me he was afraid that the examination might involve needles or probing, which he absolutely hates."

"My brother can be such a baby sometimes…"

"Do what you want with him, just don't break him, OK Ellie?"

"Hey, I'm not a toy to be passed back and forth between you two!"

"Yes you are, Moron. You are Ellie's crash dummy and Walker's…"

"Don't say it," Sarah warned. She somehow knew that Casey was about to use the term 'sex toy'.

"And the medical term is 'human body simulator', just so you know," Ellie added.

"I stand corrected."

-o-

Meanwhile, in a galaxy (Sorry, I meant a country) far, far away, a woman was watching some surveillance videos on a computer. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she touched the cutout silhouette of a girl on her charm bracelet and then touched a man's face on the screen with a finger. "Oh, Chuck," she muttered. She knew what she had to do. Smiling smugly, she opened the Director's Cut program and quickly edited the videos. Satisfied with the result, she rose from her desk and moved to her office window, looking out towards the frozen Moskva River. The ringing of her desk phone broke her reverie.

"Hello…" she said, accepting the call. "Hi Alexei… No, there are no clues as to who was behind the other day's debacle, all cameras had been looped. My guess is that Dressler or one of his people screwed the pooch and the CIA must have made him. The operation was airtight on our end, I checked. OK, bye, I'll see you in a couple of days." Returning to her computer, she watched a video one last time. She fervently hoped that the girl she'd seen get hurt would be OK. The girl's actions had saved her son's life, after all. Zooming closer, she saw the worry fill Chuck's face and, as she continued to watch, Mary realized that her son loved the girl – the way he was acting spoke volumes. The camera had captured the part where he removed her brunette wig and so Mary noticed that she was a blonde and recognized her as a CIA agent, codename Valkyrie. Her initial assessment was confirmed when she froze a frame and saw a very familiar charm bracelet on the blonde's wrist. Now, she really wanted to get the chance to meet her in person. She must be a really special young woman, Mary thought.

-o-

The previous night had been fun. Ellie and Morgan had taken it upon themselves to cook dinner for everyone and Kathleen had insisted on helping. The scene of organized chaos in the Walkertowski/Grimes kitchen was captured for posterity by Chuck with his faithful camcorder, not to mention the entertainment it provided to the people present. It was one of the reasons Ellie was smiling as she picked up her things and headed out the door to go to work. She happened to glance inside her brother's place and saw Sarah trying to take the elastic Ace bandage off of her wrist and ran to the Morgan Door, frantically knocking on the glass.

"Good morning Ellie," Sarah said brightly after she opened the window.

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Leave that bandage in place for at least another day."

"It itches," Sarah complained.

"Let it itch. On second thought, I should probably check you up before going to work."

"It's really not necessary."

"Who's the doctor here?"

"You are, Ellie."

"Good. Chuck, get out. I need to examine Sarah and make sure she didn't do anything stupid that could delay her full recovery."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"You should have dissuaded her from trying to take the bandage off."

"Believe me, I tried."

"Then get out. It may look like I'm hurting her and you'll want to stop me, but I may have to do it, so off you go."

"Help," Sarah pleaded with him.

"She's the doctor." Chuck went out and sat on the fountain, trying not to look at what was going on in his and Sarah's room. Then his phone rang. _Who is calling at eight in the morning_, he wondered. "Hello."

"Chuck?"

"Yes, who is it?"

"It's your mother."

"What? Is this a prank call?" He jumped up and looked around.

"No, it's not. Hold on. The signal should be better now."

"Mom?"

"It's me, Chuck."

"Mom, where are you?" He sat back down on the fountain.

"I follow the Moskva down to Gorky Park."

"Are you kidding me?"

"No, son, I'm serious."

"You are in Moscow?"

"Bingo!"

"How did you get this number?"

"I don't need to be a spy to get it, Chuck. It's in the phone book."

"Oh! I forgot I had all incoming calls to the office redirected to my mobile."

"It's nice to hear your voice again, Chuck. How are the others doing?"

"They are fine. We miss you, Mom."

"I miss you too. Tell me, how's the blonde girl who was hurt the other day saving you? I watched the surveillance video."

"She's fine."

"You don't know how good it is to hear that."

"Thank you."

"Seriously, I know you love her. After all, you gave her my charm bracelet, the one your father had given me so long ago."

"I do love her, Mom. She loves me, too."

"Tell the others not to worry. Volkoff is never going to learn of your part in taking down his rep and Dressler. I made damn sure of it. He thinks the client is responsible."

"You know about this?"

"I know about you and your team, I have known ever since you ruined the joint Volkoff/Ring venture in Alaska. He'd assigned me to investigate the cause of the failure. Of course, I struck out. You did a great job, Agent Carmichael."

"I'm impressed. You know my alias."

"I know a lot more, like how you do your job so effectively. Yes, Chuck, I know about _it_. It took me a while to figure it out, but I did. And now I know about you and Valkyrie."

"Why did you decide to call me now?"

"I called you because I have information I cannot pass through normal channels without risking exposure. Volkoff has moles in the CIA and if they told him that the Agency had gotten a tip on one of his upcoming operations, he would put two and two together and figure that it was me pulling the rug out from under him all along."

"Tell me."

"There is no time for it. I have to go, but I'll call you again as soon as I can. I love you all." Mary hung up. Chuck Just sat there, looking at his phone before coming to his senses and running back inside. He burst into his room with all the finesse of a sonic boom.

"Chuck, is anything wrong?" Ellie asked.

"Ellie, Mom just called."

"WHAT?" Sarah and Ellie asked in unison, incredulous.

"She called me, while I was waiting outside for you to finish giving Sarah the check up."

"What did she say?"

"She said that she loves us all, that she misses us and she wishes Sarah a speedy recovery. She saw us on the surveillance videos and knows what really happened, but she covered it all up. Volkoff believes Dressler screwed up."

"It's the standard Frost modus operandi, all right," Sarah said. "Be sure to thank her for me when you talk to her again."

"I will, Sarah."

"We need to bring your Dad and Casey up to speed."

"I'll take care of it at work."

"Let me get dressed and I'll be right with you."

"Ellie, what's the verdict?"

"She's fine. I changed the dressing over her cut and gave her the once-over. Other than her wrist, which she'll have to favor for another couple of days, there is nothing wrong with her."

"Thanks sis, you are the best."

-o-

"Are you sure, Chuck?" Casey asked.

"I'm positive. She said that she had important information to share."

"When will she call you again, son?" Stephen asked.

"She'll call as soon as she can."

"I think we should tell Graham and Beckman about this."

"John, I suggest we wait until we know what Mary wants to tell us."

"I agree, Casey."

Casey nodded. "It would be better to have something concrete to report," he said.

"Thank you John."

"She knows Chuck's office number, so she'll call him at it again. This time we should record the conversation," suggested Sarah.

"We can do this," Stephen said. I'll just add an app to Chuck's phone."

"Do it, Dad."

"Give me your phone, please."

"Catch!"

"The next time Mrs. B calls, give her my regards, bro," Morgan said.

"I will."

"Cheer up, people," Stephen said. "Mary has contacted one of us directly. It's a big step forward in my book."

"Dad is right. We now have an established line of communication with her. She knows she's not alone out there."

"We are not only a team, Chuck, we are family," Morgan said. "Anything it takes to get her back with her family where she belongs, we'll do it."

"Anything it takes," Casey repeated. "She has performed far above and beyond the call of duty in the service of her country and she deserves to get the chance to be reunited with her loved ones. I'm in, like I already promised."

"We are all in," Sarah affirmed.

"Then we can't fail," Chuck said confidently.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30 – Plans and Deception**

The young man peeked carefully around the door and immediately pulled back where his companion was waiting, nervous and alert for any sign of discovery and pursuit. They huddled together as the one who had gone to scout the way ahead gestured that there was one guard outside. They both frantically looked around for something to use as a weapon. One of them found and unclipped a small fire extinguisher from its wall-mounted bracket.

"This is better than nothing," he told his friend.

"Allow me."

"Be my guest."

"Too bad you don't have a battery for your little gadget."

"It would have made our life easier right now, but we'd have to pass up on this opportunity. Now shut up and do it already."

"OK." The shorter man moved silently forward. A dull thunk was heard and then someone let out a relieved breath.

"The coast is clear."

"We have to run and never look back now."

"Uh, which way?"

"The town is our best bet. Maybe we'll see if our mysterious benefactor was telling the truth."

"Enough talking, run."

The two friends ran for about a mile until they found a road sign. One of them briefly risked switching on the flashlight they had taken from a fire cabinet. The inscription was both in Mkhedruli and Latin alphabets, welcoming them to the port city of Poti.

"Our information was indeed accurate."

"Great. What do we do now?"

"We stick to the plan. Come on." They started walking at a brisk pace and soon they reached the first houses. Trying to look casual and avoiding unnecessary conversation, they headed west and made their way to the Black Sea coast.

"Look over there! There is a café open. I wish we had money to buy something to eat…"

"I took the guard's wallet."

"On second thought, it would be best to stay out of sight. If word gets out that two Americans were seen around here…"

"Damn, you are right. I have an idea, now that we know exactly where we are. Follow me."

"That's your bright idea? Steal a boat?"

"We are not stealing it, we are renting it without the owner's knowledge. The guard had plenty of money on him. He must have just gotten his paycheck."

"How much do we have?"

"Let me see… Well, we have a little over eighteen hundred lari and a couple of thousand US dollars, which translates to roughly three thousand dollars in total."

"Volkoff pays his people well. I suggest we keep the US dollars and finance your scheme with the local currency."

"Agreed. All we need now is a suitable boat."

"Hello there," the taller of the two said. "Give me some money."

"What did you see?"

"Take a look."

"A couple of vending machines?"

"We can buy food and drink. Smile, pal."

Later, after spending about thirty lari on junk food and soft drinks, they went back to the boat they'd spotted. It was a Zodiac inflatable with a Mercury outboard engine, old and well used, but in good condition. It had a tank full of gas, too. Casting off the mooring lines first, they then rowed the boat some distance into the harbor and started the engine. Its owner would find the equivalent of a thousand US dollars where his boat used to be. Not bad, considering it was several times above the average monthly household income for the country.

"Hey, Laszlo, this calls for a drink to celebrate!"

"You got the backpack, Manoosh! Give me a Coke, will ya?"

"Here you go, buddy."

"To getting home," Laszlo said, raising his can of Coke.

"To finally being free, and to our mysterious helper, without whom we'd still be slaving away for Volkoff in an underground bunker," Manoosh said.

Laszlo and Manoosh had a simple plan. They would travel by boat as far as Abkhazia. Taking advantage of the relaxed security over the Russian-Abkhaz border, they would go back to Russia, since fortunately the Russian tourist visas on their passports which they had managed to recover were still valid, and then they would buy tickets and fly to the US. And the plan was not even theirs. It had been suggested to them by the person who had offered to help them escape from Volkoff's clutches. But it had worked so far and they were both very optimistic. Manoosh had promised his friend a nacho sampler dinner at his favorite Mexican restaurant back in the US.

-o-

Sarah was giggling as Chuck lightly tickled her while simultaneously teasing a particular and very sensitive spot on her neck with his lips. Their bodies were entwined together in bed, as they were enjoying the – early, since it was still Friday night – beginning of a weekend off from both their jobs. Then his phone rang.

"I knew it!" Sarah grumbled after Chuck disentangled himself from her to answer it. "It was too good to be true. We wanted a weekend off, but no, the powers that be seem to take sadistic pleasure into preventing us from having a nice weekend," she ranted.

"Hello," Chuck answered, scooting off to the living room to escape Sarah's nagging.

"Hello Chuck."

"Mom?"

"I told you I'd call again, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did."

"We need to meet, Chuck."

"Tell me where you are and I'll be on the next plane over."

"That won't be necessary. You can take your car."

"My car…? Then you are in the States?"

"Specifically, I'm in Los Angeles."

"How is it possible?"

"Working for Alexei Volkoff has its perks," Mary laughed.

"OK, I get it. Where do you want us to meet?"

"Griffith Park, one hour. And, Chuck, come alone."

"Um, OK, Mom."

"Chuck!" Sarah yelled from inside their room. "Come back to bed, I'm beginning to get cold."

"Sarah…" He walked slowly back into the bedroom and she noticed the look on his face immediately.

"Chuck, talk to me! What's wrong?"

"My Mom just called. She wants us to meet."

"Where?" She jumped off the bed and started getting dressed, in black mission gear.

"She asked me to go alone."

"You are most definitely not going alone, Chuck. I'm coming with you." Concern for his safety was only one of the reasons she was so adamant about backing him up. She also wanted to meet his mother. According to her husband and children, Mary Elizabeth Bartowski was one hell of a woman.

-o-

Chuck made it to Griffith Park with time to spare. He spent a few minutes idly kicking small rocks and dirt clods, thinking about what he would say to his mother, after all those years. Sarah was in the meantime taking up position behind a clump of bushes. She had her gun, knives and a night vision scope. He was sitting on a bench, fidgeting and looking at his phone all the time, occasionally getting up and pacing nervously around. The excitement was too much.

"Chuck, don't be so nervous," Sarah's voice came into his earpiece. "I'm right here, OK?"

"Yeah…" He still couldn't resist taking another look around.

Sarah checked her watch and then resumed watching the area through her image intensification scope from behind the playground slide, where she'd moved to get a better view. Chuck's Mom should be arriving any minute now.

"And, who are you?" The question was punctuated by the sound of a gun's safety being clicked off. Sarah raised her hands and slowly got up.

"Wow, I didn't even hear a twig snap." Her mind had gone into full agent mode with a side of concerned girlfriend as it ran various scenarios and trying to figure out ways to draw her gun or a knife without getting a bullet in the back first. "You must have been doing this for a long time."

"Are you calling me old? Turn around, slowly, keeping your hands where I can see them."

"Okay." Sarah obeyed and slowly turned around.

"Valkyrie," Mary said, recognizing the younger woman.

"Frost."

What happened next, nobody but someone who knew the Bartowski family could predict. Mary lowered her Beretta. Smiling widely, she pulled Sarah into a big hug.

"Call me Mary."

"I'm Sarah." After the initial surprise, Sarah found herself returning the hug.

"Nice to meet you, Sarah dear. I know how much you mean to my son."

"You do?"

"You are wearing my charm bracelet. He wouldn't give it to anyone but the one he really loved."

Chuck had heard voices and went to investigate. Imagine his surprise when he saw his mother and girlfriend hugging each other, Mary still having the gun in her hand and Sarah still holding on to the night vision scope.

"Mom, Sarah, what are you doing?" He approached them and, without letting go of Sarah, Mary pulled him into her embrace with one arm. Sarah did the same and for a few precious moments the three just held each other in a group hug. "Mom, we have so much to talk about," he finally said.

"Not yet, Chuck. No matter how much I want it, I'm still deep undercover. We have to be very careful."

"We found no reference pertaining to the details of your assignment," Sarah said.

"Of course you didn't. My records were expunged. Stephen must have also had something to do with it. Only one document in existence subtly hints towards my assignment."

"The Project Isis termination report, I read it," Sarah confirmed. "We know you are not a traitor, Mary."

"But convincing our superiors is an entirely different matter," Chuck added. "It's only our word on how the report should be read against its seemingly definitive conclusion."

"We can talk about it. Right now, we should go somewhere secure," Mary said.

"I know a place," Chuck said and winked at the two women. "Follow me." He led both women to his car. "Mom, how did you get here?"

"I borrowed a car and drove here. It's right over there."

"You _borrowed_ a car, Mom?"

"What? I had to cover my tracks. You're a spy now, Chuck. You should know how this works."

"She's right," Sarah said.

"OK, OK, I get it. Leave it here, you're coming with us."

"The area is regularly patrolled. It will soon be found and returned to its owner."

"Let's go," Mary said.

Throughout the drive, Chuck could not resist sneaking glances at his mother in the rear view mirror and at Sarah, who was sitting next to him. The women weren't talking, but the look in their eyes said it all. He smiled when he saw Mary lightly tap Sarah's shoulder and taking her hand when she turned around in order to admire the charm bracelet on her wrist. The happy smiles on both their faces were priceless and made him wish he had a camera. Wait, it was a spy car and it was equipped with interior cameras! He surreptitiously activated the system and made a recording of the scene.

"We're here," he finally said.

"Oh my," Mary caught her breath. "It's…"

"Yes, Mom, it is." He marched to the door and knocked. "Dad, open up!"

"Do you know what time it is, son?" Stephen J. Bartowski asked sleepily when he answered the door.

"Sorry, but it couldn't wait."

"What's so important?"

"Hello Stephen."

"Mary?" He could not believe his own eyes. He rubbed them and blinked, but his wife's image was still there, so he decided that she was real.

"It's me, honey."

"We were thinking that maybe she could spend the night here with you, Stephen," Sarah said. "It's the most secure place for her right now."

"Sure, come in." Chuck entered first, followed by Sarah. Mary took a couple of steps forward and stopped in front of her husband. She smiled as she laid a hand on his cheek. He grabbed her and kissed her. He had missed this, they both had. Sarah saw them and instantly realized that all Bartowskis were good kissers. It was probably in their genes.

"Dad, do you have any…? Oh boy!"

"Let them say hello to each other, Chuck." She took him by the hand and led him to the kitchen. Fortunately, Chuck had showed her around the house and she knew where everything was, so she just put a kettle on to boil and prepared to make them all some tea.

Stephen and Mary walked into the living room a couple of minutes later, Stephen still having some of his wife's lipstick smeared on and around his lips.

"Give me a couple of paper towels, Sarah dear," Mary said and proceeded to wipe the mess off her husband's face. Sarah smiled again. Apparently another Bartowski family trait was the ability to charm ice cold CIA agents into becoming mostly normal women, she also knew that from experience.

"Mom, why did you risk having your cover blown and contacted me directly?" Chuck asked after Sarah had passed steaming mugs of tea around.

"I had no other choice. Does the name Laszlo Manhovski ring a bell?"

Sure enough, Chuck flashed. "Yes. He is a CIA asset, who works in a systems development facility."

"He was a CIA asset, Chuck. His handler was at some point recruited by Fulcrum. Then he was handed over to the Ring, still under the impression of continuing in the CIA's employ. He was on loan to Volkoff Industries when the Ring was defeated."

"So Volkoff has Laszlo?"

"Not any more, I hope."

"What do you mean by that?" Stephen asked.

"Laszlo had been taken to a Volkoff Industries facility near Poti on the Georgian Black Sea coast. He was not alone there. Volkoff had another young man brought there. His name is Manoosh Depak, MIT dropout and brilliant engineer. The Ring had hired him through a seemingly legitimate corporation to work on an aspect of the Intersect program they inherited from Fulcrum."

"Mary, hold on a sec. Are you telling us that Volkoff wants to continue the Fulcrum/Ring Intersect research?"

"No, he doesn't know about the Intersect, Sarah. The Ring kept it secret from him. Still, those two kids were made to work on various weapon projects."

"And you came here to tell us about them?"

"Volkoff sent me here to investigate the Dressler affair and see if an operation to reacquire the scientist you captured can be mounted. My report to him will be negative, of course."

"He appears to trust you."

"I'm happy to say that I have managed to cover my tracks well. There is another thing you should know, however."

"Tell us, sweetheart," Stephen encouraged.

"It's not easy. You see, Alexei Volkoff is, well, infatuated with me."

"What? Mom, have you…?"

"No. I have not cheated on your father."

"Does Volkoff know you are married?"

"Yes, but he doesn't have a clue as to who my husband is. Not that it matters, anyway. He has decided to win me over and wait for me to file for a divorce, which will never happen, of course. It's a battle he has lost before it began."

"Okay, back to the subject of those two you told us about…"

"Right." Mary checked her watch. "About twelve hours ago, they were scheduled to try to escape from the Poti facility."

"How could you possibly know that, Mom?"

"She knows because she orchestrated the whole thing, am I right?"

"Yes you are, Sarah. I provided them with a good escape plan. If they followed it to the letter, they must be on the way to Russia by now. In our last communication, they told me that they would try to get to Moscow and fly back to the US from there."

"If Volkoff has people after them, they'll need help."

"And that's exactly why I am telling you all this. The CIA can benefit from the information they can provide on some of Volkoff's projects." She opened her purse and extracted a flash drive. "Here is what I have on them. I trust you to take it from here."

"Dad, can we have a computer, please?"

"I'll get one in a minute, son." Stephen soon came back with the now familiar Orion laptop. While waiting for him, Mary explained some details of the escape of Laszlo and Manoosh. The flash drive contained the exact plan.

"If they don't deviate from it, finding them will be easy," Sarah concluded.

"Giving them an identification code phrase was a stroke of genius, Mom."

"While we are sitting here talking, they may need help. Being out of the loop, I don't know what resources the CIA has in the area they are in."

"We don't need the CIA," Chuck said. "Mom, stay here with Dad. Sarah, come with me."

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see," he replied cryptically.

"Chuck, we have no time for games."

"I just figured out a way to cut through a lot of red tape."

-o-

Kathleen yawned and tightened the sash of her robe as she made her way down from the upstairs bedroom to the door. She looked through the peephole, turned off the alarm system and unlocked the door.

"Chuck, Sarah, what are you doing here at this ungodly hour?"

"We need to talk to John, it's urgent."

"Who is it?" Casey asked. He sounded annoyed.

"Sugar Bear, come down here. It's Chuck and Sarah."

_Sugar Bear?_ Chuck and Sarah exchanged funny looks.

"It'd better be good," Casey grumbled after coming down to meet his partners. Then he saw them both trying hard not to laugh. "What?"

"Nothing…"

"Bartowski…" Then it came to him. "Kathleen was the first to call me that. Ilsa asked me once if anyone had ever given me an affectionate nickname. I told her and she liked it. She said it fit."

"It does fit. Speaking of Ilsa, you still have her number, right?"

"Yes," Casey replied cautiously.

"Call her. Something's come up and we need her help."

-o-

The persistent and annoying ringing of her phone woke Ilsa up. She checked the time. It was almost noon. Muttering a curse under her breath, she picked it up and accepted the call.

"Shto tam?" _Who is it?_

"Ilsa, hi, it's me, John. Did I wake you?"

"Yes, I had pulled an all-nighter at the office."

"I'm sorry, but Chuck has to tell you something and it can't wait."

"Put him on the phone," she said. Chuck quickly proceeded to explain the situation to her. The very mention of Volkoff cleared the last vestiges of sleep from her mind. Before hanging up, she promised to do everything she could to help.

-o-

"Do you have any idea where we are, Laszlo?" The boat ride had lasted for about an hour and a half. For the rest of the night, they had slept in the inflatable after pulling it ashore.

"Yes. We are in Abkhazia. I think."

"Smartass."

"Seriously, we should have gotten a GPS receiver."

"I looked for one when we broke out. There weren't any around. In fact, we were lucky to have our passports back."

"So, what are we going to do?"

"We follow the coast and head north."

"The sea is to the west, so we can't get lost. We'll just have to keep it to our left."

"Exactly. Come on, we have to get going." They followed a paved road and soon they came upon a road sign. The Cyrillic script left them with no doubt as to their location. Had they been able to read it, they'd know that they were approaching the coastal town of Pichori. They soon made it there, but at first were at a loss as to what they could do. They didn't have local currency, only US dollars, and they didn't speak the language, although they were sure that they could find many people who understood English. Still, they decided to try and find a way to continue their journey. If they had to, they would walk all the way to the nearest international airport.

-o-

The moment the call was over, Ilsa swung into action. She got dressed, quickly packed a travel bag and went to get her car. Then she drove straight to the nearest military airbase, making arrangements for priority transport on the way. Less than three hours later, she was stepping off the aircraft onto the tarmac of the Gudauta airbase in Abkhazia. During the flight, she briefed a trusted colleague of hers who was posted in Abkhazia and told him who she was looking for. Chuck had emailed her the photos of the two men, so she hoped they would be easy to find. She requisitioned a car from the base motor pool and followed the coastal road towards Sukhumi.

In the meantime, a friendly trucker had offered Laszlo and Manoosh a ride as far as the capital city of Sukhumi, which they gratefully accepted. It was a distance of approximately seventy-five kilometers, which could be covered in a little over an hour.

-o-

Ilsa could not believe how lucky she was. Initially, she had resigned herself to leading a long search operation for the two Americans, but now she was seeing them nonchalantly walking the streets of Sukhumi. It was them, no doubt about it. It was a two-way street, but she could not do a U-turn. Memorizing their location and the direction they were heading in, she turned into a side street and found a way back again to the street she'd seen the two men and went back the way she'd come. She passed them and parked in a convenient space.

"Hello, boys." Laszlo and Manoosh jerked to the left and saw a beautiful blue eyed brunette, wearing a skirt that came down to her knees, a fur-lined coat and high heeled leather calf high boots, casually leaning on an UAZ Patriot SUV.

"H-Hi," Manoosh stammered.

"Need a tour guide? I'm Ilsa, by the way."

"I'm Manoosh." He was relaxed now. She had said the identification code phrase.

"I'm Laszlo. Nice meeting you ma'am."

"I know who you are, gentlemen. And I'm not that old, am I? Hop in."

"So, what happens now?" Laszlo asked.

"I'll drive you to an airfield and then we'll fly together to Moscow. Some friends of mine alerted me to your escape. And since taking down Alexei Volkoff is a common aim, I was only too glad to help."

"Does that mean that you are sort of a cop?"

"Sort of," Ilsa agreed. It was a close enough description of her job. Counter-terrorism and operations against international organized crime could be termed police work, although she naturally focused on aspects concerning national security.

"Can I ask you something, Ilsa?" Manoosh asked.

"Sure, go ahead."

"Do you know a good restaurant around here?"

"Hey, I just got here myself. But I can find out."

"Good, because we'd like to buy you dinner, just to say thank you. I hope you're hungry."

"Thanks for the offer, I think I'll take it." She made a call and entered the address of the restaurant into the touch-screen navigation system of her car.

-o-

Waking up next to her husband was something Mary had sorely missed. She turned on her back and noticed that Stephen was wide awake and looking at her. He was smiling, too.

"Good morning honey," she said. "How did you sleep?"

"I didn't. Between being happy to have you back with me, even for a few days, and your snoring, I couldn't get any sleep at all."

"I don't snore," she replied, giving him a dirty look.

"No, you don't. And I slept just fine. Now, you are to get the full Bartowski B-in-B treatment."

"Oh, I really missed that."

"Wait here, I'll be right back." He went to the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with a tray to serve her breakfast in bed.

"There is something I want you to do for me, Mary."

"Ask and you shall receive."

"Come with me to Chuck's for dinner tonight. Ellie and Sarah are cooking."

"I'm not sure…"

"Ellie knows the truth about us. She'll be thrilled to see you."

"But is it safe?"

"Our daughter lives in the same apartment complex as three agents, plus Morgan, who also works with them."

"Morgan… another person I missed all those years. How's he doing?"

"You know he works with our son, right?"

"Yes."

"Chuck, Sarah and he are also roommates."

"Is he seeing anyone?"

"He's dating another agent's daughter."

"Casey has a daughter?"

"You know him?"

"By name and reputation only, but I'd like to meet him in person. Hell, I didn't know Sarah's name, just her codename, until last night."

"Fancy a drive after breakfast?"

"To Chuck's?" Mary asked hopefully.

"To Chuck's," Stephen confirmed.

-o-

"Thank you, Ilsa, that's great news," Casey said. "It was fast work, too."

"Nah, it was my pleasure. I got really lucky and found them quickly. Those kids also provided interesting information on Volkoff's facility in Georgia. Oh, how's your daughter doing?"

"She's fine. Since we last spoke, I revealed the truth to her and her Mom."

"Is her mother the one who was the first to call you Sugar Bear?"

"How did you know?"

"Just a hunch," Ilsa replied.

"I see. Well, thanks for the call. I'll take it from here."

"You are welcome, John."

"Well?" Chuck asked when Casey hung up.

"Ilsa put them both on a flight to New York."

"Fantastic!"

"Chuck, we need to arrange for someone to meet them in New York. They must not fall into Volkoff's hands again."

"Sarah's right. Casey, what do you suggest we do?"

"We'll have to bring Graham and Beckman in on this. Be warned, we may have to answer some tough questions."

"Do it." They all gathered around one of Casey's computers, while he initiated a priority video call.

"Good morning lady and gentlemen," Beckman said. "I thought we had given you the weekend off. Did Chuck flash on anything?"

"Uh, no ma'am," Chuck said. "We do however, have interesting information for you. Two escapees from one of Volkoff's facilities in the former Soviet Union, both Americans, are on their way to New York, courtesy of Agent Trinchina of the FSB."

"Expect a thank you note from the FSB, ma'am," Sarah added. "It was our information that revealed the Volkoff facility's existence to them."

"How did you learn about it, Sarah?" Graham asked.

"Sir…"

"We have an informant inside Volkoff Industries," Chuck said quickly.

"Anyone we know?"

"You might have seen a mention of her in our report on the Goya mission. It's Frost, one of Volkoff's associates. And she's my Mom."

"What?" Graham and Beckman asked in unison. Chuck and Sarah gave them a summary of Frost's last mission, Project Isis, their interpretation of the report on the project and their contact with Mary."

"Are you sure she's not playing you?"

"Sir, she knows everything about Agent Charles Carmichael, and I mean _everything_."

"Colonel Casey, do you consider Frost a security risk?"

"No, General. All the information she has provided so far has been corroborated by Intersect data, as well as Stephen Bartowski's testimony."

"We'll look into this Project Isis."

"You won't find it. I have the only hard copy, General. All other data pertaining to it was purged by Orion."

"Fax it over, Colonel."

"Yes ma'am."

"About Depak and Manhovski…" Sarah began.

"Send us everything you have on them and we'll arrange to have trusted agents standing by to ensure their safety when their flight arrives. They will then be brought in for debriefing."

-o-

Morgan was taking out the garbage when he saw Stephen park his jeep. He and his passenger exited the vehicle. He instantly recognized her, despite not having seen her for twenty years.

"Mrs. B," he said exuberantly and ran to her.

"Morgan, is it really you? You look really good with a beard."

"Come on, don't just stand there! The others will be thrilled!"

"Actually, Morgan, I saw Chuck and Sarah last night. But I'm dying to see Ellie."

"It's your lucky day then. She has the day off from the hospital." He led them to the Awesomes' apartment. Stephen had already told her that he had bought it as a gift to their daughter. Morgan pounded on the door and Devon, who had been working out, answered.

"What is it, Morgan?"

"Captain, there is someone I want you to meet. This is Mary Bartowski, your mother in law. Mrs. B, this is Devon Woodcomb, aka Captain Awesome, your son in law."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Bartowski," Devon said, getting over the initial shock.

"Please, it's Mary." They hugged.

"El, babe, come here," Devon called.

"What is it, Devon?" Then Ellie saw Mary. "Mom?"

"Come here, girl!" Mary and Ellie ran towards each other and hugged. "I missed you, Ellie."

"We missed you too, Mom."

"I must say, you were a beautiful bride."

"How do you know?"

"I was at your wedding, in disguise. I wasn't about to miss it for the world."

Still holding on to her mother, Ellie went inside and picked up the wedding album. "Show me," she said.

"This is me right here."

"No wonder no one recognized you. I have to look real close to see the resemblance."

"What can I say? It was a good disguise."

"Mary wasn't the only one in disguise at the wedding. Bryce was there, too. Chuck had invited him," Devon said.

Chuck, Sarah and Casey had heard the commotion and went out into the courtyard to investigate. Seeing Morgan with Stephen and Mary heading inside Casa Awesome, they relaxed.

"Is this your mother, Bartowski?"

"Yep."

"You'll get to formally meet her later," Sarah said. "For now, let her see Ellie."

"OK," he said, but then Morgan saw them.

"Hey, come here, guys! You shouldn't be missing this."

All four Bartowskis were sitting in Ellie's living room, beginning to do some catching up. Devon was by his wife's side, while Sarah was sitting on Chuck's lap, Mary holding her hand, the one with the charm bracelet on it. Casey had shaken Mary's hand and expressed his admiration for her courage and sacrifice and briefed her on the successful outcome of the operation she'd initiated to free Manoosh and Laszlo. She in turn thanked him for always looking out for her son and daughter. When Kathleen and Alex returned from their shopping trip, they were also introduced to Mary. They were really happy to meet the mother of two of their friends. They all spent the day together, connecting and reconnecting, making new friends – that part concerned Mary, Casey, Kathleen, Alex, Jack and Katie – and generally having a good time.

"It's so great having you back, Mom," Ellie said after a delicious dinner.

"Ellie, I hope you do realize that I'll have to go back undercover, don't you?"

"Can't I talk you out of it?"

"I have a job to finish."

"Well, make sure that you finish it soon."

"I'll try."

"You should do more than just try."

"Huh?"

"You'll see." Ellie rose from her seat. "Everybody, I have something to tell you." She paused for effect. "I'm pregnant!"

"What? El, babe, this is… awesome!"

"Congratulations, sis." Chuck and Sarah hugged her, followed by Mary and Stephen, while the others were applauding enthusiastically.

"When did that happen?" Devon asked, still somewhat shell-shocked.

"Best guess? I think it was during our honeymoon. I'll have to do some tests to give you the exact date."

"Well, Mom, I suppose this is some added motivation for you to expedite finishing the job," Chuck said.

"Some motivation," Mary replied, her eyes filling with tears. Sarah's phone rang and she excused herself to take the call. It was Graham. He told her that Mary's story checked out, mostly thanks to Sarah's notes on the Project Isis report. He and Beckman had gone over other reports by the late Agent Harper and were able to confirm her assessment. His report on the failure of Project Isis was solely intended to reinforce Frost's cover. A very happy Sarah broke the news to Chuck, Morgan and Casey, before telling Stephen and Mary about it as well.

Stephen was about to take his wife home, as it was getting late, when she remembered something. Digging into her purse, she produced a high capacity compact external hard drive.

"Chuck, I'm also here because I have to deliver this to one of Volkoff's contacts in two days. It's copy protected and the contents are highly encrypted."

"We can give it a shot. After all, our equipment is top of the line."

"It uses a 2048 bit encryption key. It's a bitch to break and that only supposing you manage to access the contents."

"I can take a crack at it," Morgan said confidently.

*grunt* (Did you hear a word she said, numb nuts?)

"Wait here!" He ran to his room and came back out carrying a cardboard box with a red maple leaf printed on the side.

"Mind telling us what this is?" Sarah asked.

"It's the Q36 game copier, Canada's greatest gift since Shania Twain. It can bypass all forms of copy protection, well except for Orion Computers & Software copy protection. Highly illegal, but I bought it to verify our product security."

"You think it can copy the contents of Mom's external drive?"

"We can always try."

"OK. Bartowski, Grimes, go to my computer and get to work. Walker, the moment they are done, I'm taking the copy to Castle and try to break the encryption using the mainframe computer's cryptanalysis module."

"When can I expect to have the drive back?" Mary asked. Casey's window was open and Chuck heard the question.

"If you wait for a few more minutes, we can give it right back to you, Mom. They used a free copy protection program. Morgan says the Q36 will rip right through it." He was as good as his word. The second the encrypted contents were copied to another portable drive, Casey went ahead with the second phase of the plan. Mary and Stephen bade the others goodbye and left for home.

-o-

"Sarah, it's all so great… I'm gonna be an uncle! Mom is back with us, if only for a short while, but it was good seeing her after so many years."

"I know, Chuck. I like her a lot too."

"She loves you, because she knows I love you."

"I'll miss her as much as you will when she leaves."

"I know."

Even in the dark, Sarah noticed the faraway look on his face and the sadness in his voice. She made her decision then and there. Chuck had given her the precious gifts of love and a real life. She knew exactly what she could do to help him and his family. But for now, she was content to let him hold her as she lay snuggled up against him.

Mary and Stephen decided to spend Sunday together. They knew it was selfish of them, but the years of being apart made them do things their children wouldn't even want to think about, much less know. In any case, Ellie had Devon and the life growing inside her and Chuck had Sarah.

On Monday morning, Volkoff called Mary. He wanted to tell her about the breach of security at the Poti facility and ask her to look into the matter. Knowing that she was the culprit, she was smiling. Deceiving Alexei Volkoff was becoming easier with every passing day. Later, everybody gathered to bid her goodbye. It was a touching scene, especially since they didn't know when they would be able to see each other again and be together like the family they were. Even Casey was moved. He knew about the sacrifices they had to make as well as Stephen and Mary did. The last person to get a loving hug from Frost was Valkyrie.

"Protect him," she whispered in Sarah's ear.

"I'll do much more than that. I'm coming with you."

"What?" Chuck asked, shocked.

"Chuck, I know I should have discussed it with you first, but I have to do this. I'll be doing it for all of us, never forget that. Besides, your Mom needs all the help she can get. It's the best way to get her back here sooner."

"Sarah, you shouldn't. This mission has already cost me twenty years of my life."

"We can do this, Mary. You won't be alone out there any more. Casey…"

"Walker."

"While Mary and I will be working on the inside, you and the others should…"

"Rest assured, Walker, Volkoff won't know what hit him. And I won't tell Graham and Beckman until you are safely away." He knew how to deal with their reaction at the news that Sarah had embarked on a rogue operation.

"There is nothing I can say to change your mind, is there, Sarah?" Chuck was conflicted. Deep down he knew it was indeed the best way. But he also didn't want to be away from Sarah.

"No, Chuck, there is not. I have a plan and it's a good one. Remember, I love you."

"I love you too."

They kissed once more and then Sarah and Mary made their way to a rental car, holding on to each other. They got in and drove away fast, so that the others could not see the tears beginning to flow from their eyes.

"We'll be back, Sarah."

"You know, when you first contacted Chuck, we all decided to help get you back with your family. Do you know what he said?"

"I have a feeling you are about to tell me."

"He said that since we'll all be working together to achieve our goal we won't fail."

"He was right."

"Let's finish this."


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N:** Don't worry, I won't keep them apart for too long. Right now, here's a chapter I could not resist writing, partially based on one of my favorite episodes, adapted to this AU, of course.

* * *

**Chapter 31 – Old Identities, Old Enemies**

"My dearest Frost," Volkoff said the moment Mary stepped into his office. "How was your trip?"

"The trip was OK, but I almost got caught by the CIA."

"What are you talking about?"

"My contact's cover had been blown. The CIA had him under surveillance and eventually arrested him." She feigned disappointment and anger as she plopped into an overstuffed armchair.

"The package?"

"I've got it right here." Reaching into her purse, she gave Volkoff the hard drive.

"Ah, I knew I could always count on you. There is another thing I want to ask you."

"Shoot."

"My secretary tells me that you didn't come here alone."

"And you'll see why." She pressed the intercom button on Volkoff's desk. "Send Ms. Franco in, please." Seconds later, the door to the office opened and a tall brunette, clad entirely in black, entered. "My dear Alexei, I'd like you to meet Rebecca Franco. I think she will be an asset to the organization."

"Mr. Volkoff," Rebecca/Sarah said politely.

"I wouldn't dream of questioning your judgment, but tell me more about Ms. Franco."

"She's a con artist and a thief, one of the best in the business. We ran into each other back in the States and kind of stuck together until we were able to find a way out of the country."

"Is that so?"

"With the Feds breathing down my neck, I needed a change of scenery real bad," Sarah said.

"Hmmm… She can be useful."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you all the time, Alexei."

"OK. I'll have my secretary make accommodation arrangements for you, Ms. Franco."

"It won't be necessary. She'll be staying with me."

"As you wish. I know you had a very long trip, ladies, so why don't you take the rest of the day off? We'll reconvene here tomorrow."

Mary drove Sarah to her apartment in her BMW sedan. As she explained, Volkoff had initially insisted on having her stay with him in his mansion, but she preferred to have her own space. Besides, he never did anything without consulting with her first.

"Sarah, I need to tell you something. During my time undercover, I had to do things I am not proud of."

"We all have done things we'd rather forget," Sarah said. "I won't think any less of you and the rest of your family feels the same."

"Our family, Sarah," Mary corrected her. When they arrived at the apartment, she showed her guest to a spare room and told her to make herself comfortable. The first thing Sarah did was to take her wig off. Then, she and Mary did a thorough sweep for bugs before calling Chuck.

"Hi Chuck," she said brightly when his image appeared on the screen of her laptop computer.

"Hi Sarah, how was your trip?"

"Long, but fortunately I had good company."

"How did Sarah's boss take it?" Mary asked.

"He wasn't exactly pleased, but Casey managed to appease both him and the General."

"I think you should know that Volkoff is up to something again. He'll tell us tomorrow."

"Keep us in the loop."

"OK. We miss you, Chuck."

"I miss you too, both of you."

"Give our warmest regards to everyone."

Both Sarah and Mary were sad when the call ended. But it only reinforced their determination to take Volkoff down quickly, so that they could go back to their loved ones.

In the morning, the two women went to the Volkoff Industries headquarters and entered Volkoff's office. He looked up from a stack of papers as they came in and smiled.

"Ah, good morning ladies," he said. I hope you had a good rest, because we have to be getting back down to business."

"We are ready, sir," Sarah said.

"Your student seems eager to learn from you, my dearest Frost."

"There are a few things I can teach her."

"Right now, I need you for an important venture. We can't afford to fail on this one. Too much money is riding on it."

"Tell us, Alexei."

"Take this and study it." He gave them a folder. "It's the details for the meeting with your contact and the necessary security arrangements. You'll be flying to the US today, assuming that your identities have not been compromised."

"I have many identities I can use," Sarah said simply.

"And the CIA was not aware of anything about me," Mary added.

"Excellent. I will book you first class tickets on the first flight to Los Angeles."

-o-

Chuck was at the airport, in the international arrivals terminal, eagerly scanning the faces of arriving travelers. He had been really excited when Sarah told him that she and Mary were coming back to LA. He sneaked a glance at Casey, who was nearby, pulling security. Morgan was waiting in the car. His heart started beating faster when he saw them. But for his mother's presence, he would have not immediately recognized Sarah in her wig, at least not from a distance. He chuckled as he remembered her expressed dislike for brunettes who expressed a romantic interest in him. Still, he had to resist the temptation of running to her and taking her in his arms. His job right now was to see if Volkoff had sent anyone to meet and/or follow the two women from the airport. In the spy business, one can never be too careful.

He and Casey watched as Sarah followed Mary to a car rental agency. So far there were no obvious signs of them being followed. A few minutes later, the Crown Vic was tailing Mary's rental Mustang, lagging several cars behind it and in a different lane. Sarah's smiling face filled the screen of Chuck's phone as it rang.

"Welcome home, Sarah," he said cheerfully.

"It's nice to be back. Are we being tailed?"

"There are no indications of that. Try getting off the freeway, just in case." He could hear Sarah relay the request to Mary. The Mustang turned towards an off ramp and exited the freeway. "You are not being followed by anyone except us," Chuck confirmed.

"We'll check into a hotel," Sarah said. "Follow us to the Grand Saville and meet us there in an hour. I'll text you with the room number."

"I can't wait!"

An hour on the dot later, Chuck was knocking on Sarah's door. She threw it open and jumped on him, locking her legs around his waist and kissing him passionately.

"Whoa, take it easy there, Ms. Franco," he said. "I have a girlfriend and she doesn't like me getting cozy with brunettes."

"I think you can safely make an exception for this particular brunette," she replied before once again attacking his mouth with hers. Chuck went inside, carrying her with him and pushed the door closed with his foot. Then, he made sure that he had a secure grip on her with his left arm and reached up with his right hand and removed her wig. "That's a lot better," he decided.

"Shut up and keep kissing me," she said breathlessly.

In the adjoining room, Casey and Stephen were talking to Mary. She told them that she was supposed to meet a contact tomorrow morning. Said contact had been working on the acquisition of a high end weapons system for Volkoff. They would have to make sure that it wouldn't happen.

-o-

The following morning, Sarah and Mary were having coffee at a Starbucks, the previously agreed upon meeting point with their contact. Just after eleven, they saw a blonde walk in and take a look around. The scarf she was wearing identified her as the contact they were waiting for. Mary casually gestured for her to join them.

"Nice day," the blonde said.

"It gets better," Mary replied. It was the correct code phrase and the other woman sat down with them. She looked thoughtfully at Sarah.

"What?"

"I know you," the blonde told her.

"I don't think so. I just got here."

"It'll come to me. I never forget a face."

Sarah just shrugged indifferently. But she was curious as to why the blonde looked familiar to her, too.

"Jenny Burton," the blonde exclaimed. "I remembered you! I'm Heather Chandler. We went to high school together!"

"Oh, yes, now I remember, too." _Dammit!_

"Yes. So, Jenny, you followed in daddy's footsteps?"

"Something like that," Sarah said. Of all the people in the world, she had to go and run into her old high school nemesis. On the other hand, it was a golden opportunity to solidify her cover with Volkoff, for Heather was sure to report it.

"Anyway, it's Heather Ratner now," continued Heather. "I married Mark Ratner, remember him?"

"I think so, yes. I always thought you were going to marry Dick Duffy."

"Dick's not the family man type. Besides, the nerds are the ones who make the big bucks."

Mary was watching the exchange with bemused interest. It was a small world indeed, she was thinking. Of course, she also noticed that Sarah looked like she really wanted to cut Heather to ribbons with her knives. Whatever they were, those two were definitely not close friends.

"Let's get down to business, shall we?" Mary suggested.

"With pleasure," Heather said. "The story goes like this: My husband works for an aeronautical constructions company and he's project manager for the development of an add-on kit for the F-22A Raptor to enable it to undertake deep penetration precision strike missions using heavier weapons than hitherto possible, without compromising its stealth characteristics."

"How are we going to acquire the plans?" Mary asked.

"That's the best part. We are blackmailing my husband, who thinks that I am in danger and that I'll be killed if he doesn't deliver the plans."

"Smart," Sarah commented. "When is the deal going down?"

"Depends on when Mark will be able to sneak the plans out of his office. I'll let you know." Mary gave Heather a card with her number on it.

-o-

"I hate Heather Chandler," Sarah muttered while angrily pacing in the bathroom. "I hate her, I really do."

"Sarah, are you OK? You've been locked in there for the better part of an hour."

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," Sarah said, opening the door. "I was just fantasizing about turning Heather into shark bait."

"I know you two have a history, but if you want to talk about it…"

"It's OK, really. It's just… she made the senior year in high school a living hell for me."

"Keep this in mind, Sarah. In the end, she'll be at the Supermax and you will be back with my son."

"I know. Thanks Mary. I know it's stupid, they used to tell us all the time at the Farm not to let our feelings cloud our judgment…"

"I understand. After all, it's very close to home. Do what you have to do to vent your anger so you can focus on the mission."

"You know what? You are absolutely right, Mary. The look on Heather's face when we clap her in irons will be priceless."

-o-

Chuck knocked on the door of Sarah's hotel room. Just an hour ago, he'd talked to his Mom. What she'd told him made him a bit apprehensive of how his girlfriend would react when she heard the news.

"Come in, Chuck," Sarah said smiling. She ran an arm over her sweaty brow. Her ego got its usual boost when she saw how Chuck was looking at her sports bra and sweatpants clad body, and the film of sweat covering all areas of exposed skin. Then she noticed the package he was carrying. "What's this?"

"It's for you." He gave it to her and she opened it. From it she took a beautiful purple dress with pearl-studded straps.

"It's beautiful, but it's not my birthday."

"Aha! One down, three hundred sixty-four and a quarter possibilities to go. Nah, I was just kidding. I know when your birthday is, honey."

"Did you flash on me? Because I recall you promising…"

"Actually, your Dad told me. But by then your birthday had already passed and I was not able to throw you the bash you so deserve."

"Aw, it's very sweet. So, why did you get me this dress?"

"I know you are going to see it as a glass half empty, but I think you should be more optimistic, because…"

"Spill it!"

"We have to go to your high school reunion in San Diego."

"What? No!"

"Sarah, I know that you don't like talking about your past, much less revisiting it, but that's where the drop is going down. Casey and I are going to talk to Mark Ratner later."

"Look," she said, "I'm sorry. It's just… high school… was a tough time for me, okay?"

"Tell me about it! I get that, trying to figure out who you are and what you're going to do with the rest of your life, while constantly distracted with raging hormones," he said, trying desperately to make light of the whole situation, as he could see how distressed she was.

"It was more than that for me," she said cryptically but honestly, resting her head against the punching bag and keeping her eyes closed, fighting back tears.

"Hey, you'll be okay. Trust me," he said. She really appreciated having him there for her, even though she couldn't bring herself to tell him exactly what had happened back then. He took her in his arms and she relaxed, having again that feeling of warmth and safety she so sorely missed when she had to be away from him. She knew what she had to do. Grabbing a fistful of his shirt, she pulled him into the bathroom and started the shower.

"Take your clothes off, all of them," she commanded. He had no choice but to obey.

-o-

"Who… who are you people?" Mark Ratner asked, clearly frightened as the hood was pulled off his head.

"We work for the federal government," Casey replied.

"And we know about the F-22 weapons bay plans," Chuck added.

"You have to understand, if I don't get them the plans, they'll kill my wife."

"Excuse us," Chuck said and motioned to Casey to follow him out of the interrogation room.

"What is it, Bartowski?"

"I'd hate to be the one to tell him about his wife's involvement in all this."

"That's why love is for suckers," Casey replied.

"Yeah... Hey, did Sarah tell you where she was going today?"

"Sucker," Casey snorted.

"So…"

"We won't tell him the truth about his wife, not just yet. When we get back inside, follow my lead."

"OK."

"Ratner, we'll be with you during the exchange. Our job is to prevent the plans from falling into the wrong hands. You will be the only one to know we are federal agents. But be warned: if you do something stupid, like blowing our cover out of fear for your wife's welfare, Mad Dog here will make sure that you die a slow, painful death. I strongly suggest you don't give him an excuse to do it. He's a maniac." While Casey was talking, Chuck was casually leaning against a wall, arms crossed. When Mark shot him a fearful glance, he scowled menacingly and narrowed his eyes.

*gulp* "O- OK."

"Just to illustrate the point," Casey said. "See this?" He showed Ratner an ugly scar on his upper arm. Chuck flashed on it and learned that it had happened years ago on a mission to recover the valuable cargo of a ship taken by pirates in the Malacca Strait. "I parked in his space once. He didn't take it too well, as you can see. This scar is a reminder to never mess with Mad Dog Carmichael."

-o-

"Any big plans for tonight, Sugar Bear?" Kathleen asked as they were stacking the plates and glasses in the dishwasher she had so fortunately insisted on him getting.

"I'm working tonight."

"Is it interesting?"

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

"You are so funny, John."

"You think so?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

Meanwhile, Sarah was for the thousandth time admiring the dress Chuck had gotten her. The door separating her room from Mary's was open and she could hear her talking to someone on the phone.

"Yes, she's right here, hold on." She turned to Sarah. "Heather wants to talk to you."

"What is it, Heather?"

"It just occurred to me, I have to find you a date for the reunion."

"It's already been taken care of. I'll be coming with an old acquaintance of mine. Besides, if I needed to, I could pick a random schnook off the street and have him accompany me to the reunion."

"You've got a point there."

"See you in San Diego, Heather."

"Go Cougars!" Heather hung up.

"We'll see who gets the last laugh, bitch," Sarah growled.

"Come again?" Mary asked.

"Nothing, Heather just gave me an idea. I'll just feed her to the cougars in San Diego Zoo," Sarah replied, smiling evilly.

"Sarah, you need to focus on the mission."

"I know, but the image that formed in my mind was sooo good."

"Ha-ha, I can understand. Come on. Let's get you ready for the reunion." Draping an arm over Sarah's shoulders, Mary steered her towards the bed, where she had laid the dress out.

-o-

"I miss having Sarah here sorting out all sorts of mess, dude," Morgan complained as he finished reading a file. "It's like before she came to work here, only worse."

"I know what you mean, Morgan. I can barely concentrate on work."

"Hey, she's with your Mom. Together, Sarah and Mrs. B are unstoppable."

"Thanks buddy."

"Let's talk about tonight's mission. You are Charles Carmichael, con artist, you have worked with Rebecca Franco, aka Jenny Burton, on several occasions in the past and you appreciate her enough to help her on her current con job without asking questions, settling for a fixed fee instead of a cut."

"You came up with all this?"

"Actually, it was Sarah's idea. I just helped embellish the story a little. Hey, there is a silver lining to it all."

"I'm listening."

"Think about it. You'll get to learn more about her. Where she graduated from high school, you'll meet people she knew… do I need to say more?"

"You are absolutely right. Although she is not really fond of that time in her life."

"Find a way to make her look at it from a different viewpoint," Morgan insisted. Chuck thought about it for a minute. Sarah had once told him that she had been recruited into the CIA straight out of high school. Had that not happened, she'd have never met him, most likely. Now, that was food for thought. The events of her high school senior year started a chain of events that led to them meeting and falling in love.

Of course, the best laid plans, etc, as they say. When he went to pick her up for the trip to San Diego, he attempted yet again to get her to talk about her past. It turned out to be a really bad idea. She got mad at him and implied that she would inflict great bodily harm on him, if he kept it up. Just to drive the point home, she ruined one of her favorite pictures of them together, the one she always kept in her suitcase, by throwing a number 2 pencil at it, no less. She regretted it, naturally, and admitted she'd overreacted during the drive to James Buchanan High.

-o-

"Jennifer Burton," Sarah told the two former classmates at the reception desk. The two looked at each other and then at her, stunned.

"You are Jenny?"

"I am if it says I am," she replied, grabbing a sticker with her name on it and slapping it on her dress. Chuck was smiling as he witnessed the scene. What happened next was a bit awkward for Sarah, because he saw her yearbook photo, frizzy hair, braces and all. He did what he thought was a great save, claiming that she didn't look bad back then. Of course, now she was even better. As he phrased it, the pretty duckling had turned into an absolutely drop dead gorgeous swan, a swan that happened to be swimming in his lake, too, so to speak.

"Heather's over there," Sarah whispered to him.

"I see Mark by the punch bowl."

"Keep your eyes open, Chuck. Heather said she'd bring help."

"OK. By the way, where is Mom?"

"I'm right outside, Chuck," Mary said over the comms. "Being too old to be in the reunion, pulling security outside was the best option."

"About that, whose idea was it to set up the drop here?"

"I guess it was Heather's," Sarah replied. "When she found that I am involved, she couldn't resist it. Plus, she wants to be crowned reunion queen."

"Hello there," a man who looked very much like a former jock said.

"Dick," Sarah said.

"You look good, Jenny."

"So do you. Allow me to introduce you guys. Chuck, this is my old classmate Dick. Dick, meet my friend Chuck. As they shook hands, Chuck flashed on a tattoo Dick had on his forearm and told Sarah about it. Apparently, her old class mate had connections to an organized crime syndicate. "Wait here and keep an eye on Mark," she told him. "I'll deal with Dick. If you flash on anything else, tell the DJ."

"Excuse me?" He turned and saw that the DJ was none other than Casey. "I didn't know the big man had it in him," he said admiringly.

As it turned out, Dick wasn't the drop man. He was a small time petty criminal, dealing in bootleg booze, counterfeit watches, DVDs and pot. Still, Sarah greatly enjoyed kicking his lights out, especially after he grabbed her ass. Said ass, and indeed her whole body and soul, belonged to one man and one man only, Chuck Bartowski. _I could probably get that tattooed on_, Sarah thought,_ 'Property of Chuck Bartowski'…Hmmm, sounds good_. She resolved to have a temporary tattoo with this phrase done, just to see the look on Chuck's face. It would certainly be priceless.

"Casey, Chuck, false alarm; Dick wasn't the drop man. Keep looking."

"Roger that," Casey replied.

"I see them. Heather's brought two goons along. They are going for Mark."

"Take care of them. Heather is mine," Sarah said viciously and stalked off after her old nemesis. It was payback time and she would not be denied.

-o-

Sarah followed her target to the locker rooms. Perhaps Heather wanted to reminisce about being a cheerleader. In any case, it was convenient, being far from prying eyes, so the takedown wouldn't attract undue attention.

"What are you doing here, Heather? We still have a job to do, in case you have forgotten."

"I've taken care of it. Right now, my guys are getting the plans from my idiot husband."

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you," Sarah said casually.

"What do you mean?"

"There has been a change in plans." She drew her gun, but Heather kicked it away.

"I think I'll like it better that way. Instead of merely reading you your rights, I get to kick your ass first."

"Who would expect that Jenny, the jailbird's daughter, would grow up to become a fed?"

Both women took their high heeled shoes off and wearily sized up each other. Heather threw the first punch. Sarah ducked it, answering with a kick to the gut. A left cross from Heather bloodied Sarah's nose. The fight took them to the showers. Heather said that she was a black belt in karate, and indeed managed to land a few good blows, but Sarah was giving better than she was taking, until she slipped on the floor. Heather took the opportunity, and before Sarah could regain her balance, she swept her legs from under her, sending her crashing to the floor. She didn't have time to gloat however, as Sarah was up in a flash and delivered a roundhouse kick that sent Heather flying backwards into the water pipes, dislodging one of them. Water started spraying, drenching the two women. Heather yanked the loose pipe free and swung it at Sarah's head. She ducked it and elbowed Heather in the stomach, before turning and head-butting her, breaking her nose. With her opponent momentarily stunned, Sarah grabbed her by the dress and slammed her to the wall outside the showers, before kicking her right into the trophy case.

"Bitch! You'll die for this," Heather hissed, drawing a concealed .32 caliber Beretta. Sarah was faster. She took a throwing knife from a sheath around her thigh and with a flick of her wrist sent it flying to the metal cougar head hanging above the trophy case, which went tumbling right onto Heather and knocked her unconscious.

"Go Cougars," Sarah said. Forgetting even about her shoes, she walked unsteadily back to the gymnasium, anxious to see how Chuck and Casey were doing.

"And the reunion queen is… Jenny Burton," the class spokesperson announced the results of the poll. "Jenny? Has anyone seen Jenny?" At that point, Sarah entered, wet, bruised, bloodied and with her makeup ruined. It did not deter her classmates the slightest. They all applauded as the spokesperson placed the crown on her head. Chuck, who had just arrived back to the gymnasium, also applauded .

-o-

"Do you guys know a good divorce lawyer?" Mark asked, after Casey had explained everything to him and the FBI had taken custody of Heather and her goons. Chuck had other business to attend to. He took his girlfriend to the restrooms, where he gently cleaned the blood and smeared mascara off her face with wet paper towels. He also attempted to dry her hair, but she just smiled, kissed him and took over. Mary also brought her the black pants, t-shirt and tracksuit jacket she had taken along just in case.

"Are you OK, Sarah dear? Let me take a look."

"Mary, I'm fine." She had barely said that when she sneezed loudly.

"You caught a cold," Chuck said, the concern evident in his voice.

"Nonsense, I don't catch colds." Then she sneezed again.

"Yeah, right," he said, draping his suit jacket over her shoulders.

"Can we go home now?"

"Yeah. Ellie will make you some chicken soup."

"I hate chicken soup."

"Don't be such a baby, Sarah."

During the drive back to Burbank, she and Chuck were cuddled together in the back seat of the Crown Vic. Fatigue and, to a far lesser extent, jet lag had finally caught up with her and she fell asleep in his arms. The following day, Chuck visited her at the Grand Saville. They sat down together by the window and handed her something from the bag he'd brought.

"Isn't that supposed to be a raw steak?" Sarah asked as she took the frozen hamburger patty and placed it on the bruise on her cheek.

"Not when one has forgotten his wallet, thank you very much. I did, however, find enough cash in my pockets to get you a cooked one as well. Medium rare with…"

"Extra pickles," they said in unison.

"Yummy," she said. It smelled delicious and she was almost drooling.

"It's my pleasure. Sharing a cheeseburger with you before you go back to playing Rebecca Franco just seemed the right thing to do." She didn't like having to leave him again and it showed, so he decided to try and take her mind off it for now. "Should I get a knife? I'll get a knife."

"That won't be necessary," she said. Rolling up a pant leg, she gave him one of the knives she kept in an ankle sheath.

"I'd totally forgotten about those," he laughed. She followed suit. "This is gonna be messy," he said as he prepared to cut the hamburger in two. "You want a big half or a small half?"

"Definitely a big half," she replied, leaning closer to him. It was, after all, just as she liked it and she was damned if she didn't enjoy as much of it as she possibly could. He deftly cut the burger, wiped the knife clean on a napkin and handed it back to her.

They ate their halves of the burger in silence. When they finished, they cuddled together by the window, enjoying the view.

"I brought you something else too," he said.

"What is it?" Sarah asked, curious.

"I thought that you might want to replace the photo of us you destroyed the other day. Honestly, I was amazed to see what you can do with just a pencil. And I was almost scared out of my wits, too."

"Sorry about that. And thanks. I really like that picture." They were kissing when a knock on the door interrupted them.

"Who was it?" Chuck asked when she returned.

"Oh, it was just the guy from the dry cleaners. He brought me my dress back." She handed him the bag containing it. "It's the first dress you got for me. I really love it. Luckily, it wasn't damaged when I kicked Heather's ass. Take it home."

"I will."

-o-

"Alexei, there is something very wrong here," Mary said. She had driven the rental car away from the hotel and contacted Volkoff.

"The operation didn't go as planned?"

"That's putting it mildly. In fact, it was a huge cluster fuck. Our contact and her men are in FBI custody. Rebecca and I were lucky to escape."

"You think there might be a leak in the organization."

"I'll review our security arrangements when I return. But I don't think it's an inside job. Too few people knew about this operation. My guess is that the dupe somehow slipped up and got himself flagged by the FBI. Blackmailing people into obtaining stuff for us has its risks."

"Just make sure you get back to me safely, my love."

Mary made a face when the video call ended. She despised Volkoff and was getting tired of his incessant attempts at romancing her. Still, she would have to find a good explanation for the repeated failures, which happened to occur with increasing frequency lately, or Volkoff was bound to get suspicious. The answer came to her while she was driving back to the hotel. It was simple, entirely believable and would surely put a huge crimp in Volkoff's plans, which would be thrown off schedule pending the necessary changes for security's sake. Said changes would naturally be ineffective, given that she herself was the leak.

When she got back to her room, she saw that the door between it and Sarah's room was open, just as she'd left it, so that the younger agent could keep an eye on things. "I'm back," she called.

"We're in here," Sarah said.

"How did it go?" Chuck asked.

"Volkoff was disappointed, of course," Mary laughed. "How are you, Sarah?"

"I'm a lot better, thanks."

"Mom, I hope you are hungry, because I got you a cheeseburger. It hasn't gotten cold yet."

"What are you waiting for, hand it over." She really was hungry.

"Mary, about Volkoff, what story did you spin to explain our 'failure' to acquire the plans?"

"I postulated that Mark Ratner, having no espionage training or experience, somehow came to the attention of his employer's security people and was flagged for further surveillance by the feds."

"And Volkoff bought it?" Chuck asked.

"He has no reason to doubt me. Still, I was tasked with investigating the latest spate of failures in his ventures, and I want to pull the wool over his eyes without making it look like an inside job. We can't afford a witch hunt into Volkoff Industries' internal security, at least not yet, not while Sarah is new there."

"Mom, I think I can help. And the fun part is that Volkoff's contacts will verify it."

"I'm all ears."

"First of all, blame the failures of the joint ventures with the Ring on the CIA's infiltration and takedown of the Ring itself."

"Chuck, this is brilliant!" Sarah enthused.

"Thank you. During certain operations, the CIA has also managed to capture a number of Volkoff's employees. Who knows what they may have revealed under interrogation… I think you get my point."

"Yes, it can work."

"So… what happens now?"

"Sarah and I will have to go back. We leave tomorrow."

"I understand."

"I'll go see your father. In the meantime, you two kids are free to do what you want."

"OK, Mom."

"See you later, Mary." Sarah held tighter on to Chuck after his mother left to go see her husband.

"Come on," he said, "I'll take you to your parents' place. Then it's dinner at Ellie's. How does that sound?"

"It all sounds so great, Chuck." She was grateful for his forethought.

Naturally, Jack and Katie were glad to have the chance to see their daughter and spend time with her and her boyfriend, who, as they hoped, would one day become their son in law and the father of their grandchildren. They didn't go out, as Sarah was supposed to be on a deep undercover assignment, but it suited them all just fine. Jack assured Sarah of one thing; he and Katie would not get remarried until she came back from her assignment, so that she would be able to attend.

Later, they all drove to Echo Park. Devon was still overwhelmed by the news that he was going to be a daddy, so he insisted on relieving Ellie of most household tasks. Fortunately, Casey came to the rescue while the couple was arguing and suggested a barbecue dinner. Devon could definitely help with grilling the meat, while Ellie would just have to make the salads.

"Someone's having a BBQ," Jack observed after they parked their cars."

"Smells delicious, too," Katie agreed.

"The only one with a grill around here is Casey," Sarah said. "I thought Ellie was supposed to be cooking tonight. And Casey giving her free reign with his Beast Master is highly unlikely."

"Well, there is only one way to find out." He led the way into the courtyard.

"Bartowski, you're finally here," Casey greeted him. "Hello, Katie, nice of you to make it. Jack, grab a beer."

"What happened, sis?" Chuck asked Ellie.

"Devon," she said. "He's still going through the 'we are going to be parents' freak out phase and he's not letting me do any housework that he thinks might fatigue me. All I was allowed to make is the salads."

"Won't you go with the other guys, Chuck?" Alex asked.

"I'll join them in a minute. I just wanted to ask about the change of plans."

"Hey, Walker," Casey bellowed.

"What?" She went to where the men were gathered, delving once again into the art of grilling various kinds of meat.

"I seem to recall Bartowski here telling me, after I got this baby, that I could give you barbecuing lessons."

"He said that?"

"Angel, you did work at a Wienerlicious," her father said.

"Where you couldn't grill anything without burning it, as you confessed," Chuck added.

"I was on a mission!" Sarah protested. "I can work a grill as well as anyone." Her competitive side had just surfaced and it presented them with a golden opportunity to take her mind off the job, at least for a precious few hours.

"Prove it," Casey challenged, holding a spatula out to her.

"Give me this and step aside," she growled. Behind her back, Chuck gave the thumbs-up to Morgan, who disappeared to their place, returning with a camcorder.

"She's not bad," remarked Stephen.

"When I was in high school, our place had a grill and Dad taught me the basics back then," she said. "Chuck, what are you doing?"

"Me? I'm just documenting your success. You know I'm a sucker for such mementos."

"Oh."

"Although…"

"What?"

"I'm not saying you don't look good, in fact you look gorgeous like always…"

"Cut to the chase, Chuck," she said, impatiently waving the grill fork in front of his nose.

"I, um, I mean from a director's perspective, it would make for a better video if you…"

"If I what?"

"If you were dressed like a Wiener Girl." He cringed, expecting her to erupt. Instead, she laughed, surprising all of them.

"It would have been fun to watch afterwards," she said, giving Chuck a meaningful look. Then, she turned her attention back to the burgers on the grill. Holding the bottom half of a bun behind her back with her left hand, she used the spatula in her right hand to flip a cooked burger into the air, sending it to land square on the bread. Casey led the others in a round of applause. "Thank you gentlemen." She then handed it to her father for the necessary condiments to be added.

The BBQ dinner party was fun, allowing both Sarah and Mary to forget their worries for a while and just have a great time with their families and friends. Chuck, the instigator of all this, had a good reason: it was good for morale. Later, after the courtyard had been policed up, he took Sarah to their room. Mary had already said her goodbyes and left with Stephen. She and Sarah would meet at the airport in the morning.

"I wish there was another way, one that wouldn't require you leaving, Sarah."

"Yeah, I wish the same."

"I don't know if I've said this before, but I'll miss you."

"Chuck?"

"Hmmm..?"

"Make love to me, Chuck." She pressed her body closer to his. He wrapped his arms around her and they started kissing slowly, lovingly. At first, Chuck was trying to be gentle and go slow, but Sarah would have none of it. She wanted her carnal needs satisfied and this was the last chance she'd get for a while, so things quickly spiraled out of control.

-o-

In the morning, Chuck and Casey provided overwatch security for Sarah and Mary as they boarded a flight out. When the plane took off, Chuck quietly walked back to the Crown Vic with his friend. Casey knew how his partner was feeling.

"They'll get the job done, Chuck."

"I know, but how long will it take?"

"There is no simple answer to that question."

"Let's go back to Castle."

Chuck looked at the faces of his father, his best friend and his partner in turn. He had been deep in thought throughout the drive from the airport to their base and had reached a decision and called for a war council.

I think we all agree that taking down Volkoff and doing it fast is our number one priority right now." There were nods of agreement all round. "Good. It's time to play a little offence ourselves."

"Time to spread the pain," Casey said.

"We'll hit Volkoff hard," Stephen agreed.

"No more sitting around with our thumbs up our asses, waiting for the girls to provide us with intel. It's got to be a two-way operation," Morgan added.

"We've got the advantage provided by the Intersect, not to mention Dad's files. But until now, we have not been utilizing it to the full. This ends today. We are going all out and no one is going to stop us until Volkoff's organization is destroyed and Mom and Sarah are safely home."


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N:** This is the end of the Volkoff arc. From the next chapter on, the gang embarks on new, sometimes hilarious adventures.

Yet again, thank you all for your support!

* * *

**Chapter 32 – Slaying the Hydra**

_Chuck and Sarah were spooned together in bed, his arms holding her to him. She knew he didn't want her to go back to Volkoff. She didn't want to go back to Volkoff either. But she had a job to do. For now she was content to __place her hand on his and lace their fingers together. He felt the cold metal of her charm bracelet, but it didn't bother him at all. It could never bother him. He smiled and kissed her neck._

"_Sarah," he asked after pulling back a little, "are you awake?"_

"_Yes."_

"_I was talking to Awesome while we were barbecuing. It's great to see him and Ellie so happy."_

"_I'm really happy for them, too."_

"_Maybe Awesome was right about the other thing he said… Marriage, baby…who knows, maybe we're next." With that he drifted off to sleep. Sarah just lay there, frozen, wide eyed in terror._

"Sarah… Sarah, are you OK, dear?"

"Huh? Uh, yes, I think so." She turned and noticed that Mary was looking at her with concern. They were both on the plane to Moscow. Sarah must have fallen asleep shortly after takeoff.

"Were you having a nightmare?"

"Not exactly, but thanks for waking me up."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's about Chuck."

"Look, I know you hate to have to leave him…"

"It's not just that. He said something to me last night."

"If he hurt you, all it'll take is one phone call to his sister and she'll teach him a lesson he'll never forget."

"Oh, no, he didn't say anything to hurt me."

"Then what?"

"He told me about something Devon said: that maybe Chuck and I are next in line for marriage and kids. I… I freaked out, Mary. If Casey were here he'd be laughing in my face right now, because I once expressed the desire to have a normal life, have a family, children. I still want all that."

"But you feel it's happening too fast."

"Yes… And it scares me. During my entire adult life, my job was all I had, until I met Chuck. Now, I am adapting to being in a steady relationship and it's a process I like, a lot. But I don't know anything about being a wife and mother. I'm afraid I'm going to make a huge mess out of it and I don't want to disappoint Chuck, but I also don't want to quash his hopes. Am I making any sense at all?"

"Oh, Sarah," Mary said and pulled the younger woman in a motherly hug. "Let me tell you a little secret. When I discovered that I was pregnant with Ellie, I panicked. Like you, I didn't know how to be a mother and at the time I was still adjusting to being a wife. I learned how to be a mother along the way. But you have an advantage here."

"What?" Sarah looked hopefully at Mary, hanging on her every word.

"Our families," Mary explained. "Your Mom, Ellie, Kathleen and I will always be there for you to offer all the help and guidance you'll need. And I'm just talking about the mothering aspect. For the rest you can count on everyone close to us for support."

"Thank you. You just took a huge weight off my shoulders." The more Sarah was thinking about it, the more sense it made. She had a lot of people she could turn to for advice. For the moment, she relaxed in Mary's embrace. A thought flashed through her mind: Mary Elizabeth Bartowski would be as good a mother in law to her as her grandmother Sarah Yvonne Walker had been to her Mom. Suddenly, becoming a wife and mother did not seem so terrifying to her anymore.

In the meantime, Chuck was looking at his desktop screensaver, which was a slideshow of pictures of him and Sarah. He smiled as he started categorizing her moods as he'd learned them. There was her normal girl mode, aka Sam; her loving girlfriend mode, aka Sarah; her professional kick-ass ninja spy girl mode, aka Agent Walker, codename Valkyrie; her psycho mode number 1, aka PMS Sarah; her psycho mode number 2, aka crazy jealous girlfriend Sarah, usually appearing as a sub-variant of psycho mode number 1; and last but not least, her horny girlfriend mode, aka Tigress, aka Leggy Valkyrie with an aversion to clothing. These were the pieces of the beautiful puzzle that was the woman he loved. And he wanted her back, in order to add a couple more. He chuckled as he realized that it would not be as simple as adding apps to his iPhone, but he was a patient man. Right now, the main obstacle was Volkoff, the man who had taken everything from him, who had forced his mother to leave her family, made his father go off grid trying to find her, and now Sarah. This could not be allowed to continue.

"Morgan," he called.

"What is it, Chuck?"

"Come downstairs with me."

"Tell me, what's going on?" Morgan asked as they stepped into the subterranean base.

"I know how we can take Volkoff down." He led the way to the armory.

"Did you just say 'we'? I'm in anyway, but what are we going to do with all those guns?"

"No guns," Chuck said. "We need…" He opened a cabinet.

"Office supplies?" Morgan asked, incredulous.

"No, Morgan. We need a plan."

They started taking tacks, pins, staplers, yarn, copy paper, sharpies, post-it pads and other stuff out of the cabinet. Then, Morgan helped Chuck disassemble a couple of large bulletin boards they kept in the upstairs offices and carry them to Castle, where they reassembled them. Then the laborious process of gathering every scrap of data they had on Volkoff and his ventures began. Stephen and Casey returned from a trip to the elder Bartowski's basement, where they had reviewed some intel, and immediately pitched in to help when they saw what Chuck and Morgan were doing.

Even when just adding information to the boards, Chuck had flashed a few times and Stephen wasted no time connecting to the Intersect database and getting confirmation. But when they finished and he stepped back to get a good look at their handiwork, he experienced the mother of all flashes. It lasted far longer than any previous flash and when it ended, he went down to one knee, holding his head, dazed and with a terrible headache.

"Chuck!" Casey was the first to reach him. "What just happened?"

"Dude, you were flashing for… well, for a long time."

"Incredible," muttered Stephen.

"Morgan, can you please get me some aspirin and water? Casey, help me up. Dad, can you offer at least a semblance of logical explanation for this?"

"It's only a theory at this stage, you have to understand that."

"Noted. Well?"

"It is my considered belief that the Intersect in your head functioned perfectly. It may have something to do with the workings of the human brain, but I guess you kept making connections between flashes, thus causing more flashes. The computer can't even approach the speed with which you did it. You were a lot faster." Then he had an idea. "Maybe I should modify the search algorithms, but that's for later."

"Chuck, you should tell Ellie about it," Casey said.

"Are you nuts? She'll insist on having me benched in order to poke around in my brain!"

"Still, she's the neurologist. And her work with Jill on the Intersect reception enhancement drug is going along nicely, too. Besides, we'll only need her to confirm my theory. She knows what's at stake and she won't place any obstacles to our work."

"Fine, fine, you sold me."

"Good. Morgan, call her," Stephen said. "Ask her to come here."

"I'm on it."

"In the meantime, tell us what you saw, son."

"OK, just gimme a minute to put all the information in order." He gratefully downed the aspirin Morgan brought him after calling Ellie. "Well, what I got from the flash is basically information on Volkoff Industries' structure, a list of his closest associates, as well as his most important ventures. It's called Project Beacon, and it's essentially an underground arms pipeline." He moved to a world map tacked to one of the boards and, with a marker, traced the known Beacon terminals and shipping routes as indicated in his flash. He also added several post-it notes with the names and locations of companies that were fronts for Volkoff's arms smuggling operations.

"You're on to something here, Bartowski," Casey said. All the time, he was furiously taking notes.

"Mary has already given us a lot of information on Project Beacon," observed Stephen.

"She has, but since it predated her, um, acceptance into Volkoff's inner circle, she doesn't know its full extent. But I was able to verify the information she's given us on the parts she's familiar with."

"Chuck, how do you know all that?" Morgan asked. "I mean, I've tried searching for some of the names and locations you just provided and not all of them are in the Intersect database."

"What?" Both Chuck and Casey turned to look at him.

"I don't know," he said, running a hand over his beard. "Maybe your flashes created new files."

"That could work with the improved, cube-cored, Intersect 2.0, as Dad purposely designed it with an additional processor to perform such a function, but I seriously doubt the human brain has such a capability."

"How do you explain it then?" Casey asked.

"I can't," Chuck shrugged.

"Maybe I can," Stephen said. "When I first showed you my basement, Chuck played with an Intersect blocker I had made, remember?"

"Yes, but you had me run a de-blocker program immediately afterwards, Dad."

"It wasn't just a de-blocker program, son. I threw in an update, too."

"Are you saying that the stuff not in the CIA/NSA database is Orion intel?"

"Precisely."

"We should add it to the main database," Casey suggested.

"He's right. We need to have the whole picture. Right now, Chuck is the only one who's seen it," Morgan said.

"OK, I'll connect an external drive with the data to our terminal. Then, I'll tweak it to improve the information fusion and bring it up to Chuck's level."

"When do you expect to have it ready?"

"By this time tomorrow, I guess," Stephen replied after doing some calculations in his head.

-o-

Ellie was at work when she got Morgan's call, but promised to swing by the office immediately after her shift. Morgan met her and Devon upstairs and led them to Castle. Although he had already been there, it never ceased to amaze Awesome. His wife however, was seeing it for the first time and was rendered speechless at first.

"Wow," she said finally. "This is quite an amazing place you guys have down here. Devon told me it was badass, but words can't do it justice. One has to see it to believe it. Dad, care to explain the mysterious summons?"

"Your brother had a really intense flash."

"Dad, intense is putting it mildly. It was the mother of all flashes." He told Ellie about it, its characteristics and its duration, half expecting her to freak out, but when he finished she had an interested look on her face. "I know that look. She wants to do something evil to me."

"Don't be silly, little brother. Although, I would definitely not say no to running some more tests on you and that brain of yours."

"The way things are going Bartowski's not gonna need a doctor, but a techie," Casey chuckled.

"How come?" Chuck asked.

"Because you've got a hard drive for brains, idiot." Hearty laughter followed the statement.

"Ellie will need a career change," Devon snickered.

"You guys do what it is you usually do down here. I'm taking Chuck to the infirmary for a check up," Ellie announced.

"It's right this way, babe," Devon said and took the lead.

"Wait, I wasn't done. There was more in the flash."

"You can tell us later, son."

"There's enough here to keep us busy until Ellie gives the all clear," Casey assured him.

"Captain, what are you doing here?" Stephen asked. "I thought you would be assisting Ellie."

"Some people just want to have all the fun to themselves," Devon replied with a dismissive wave of the hand. Sitting down in the lounge, he picked up a magazine, but immediately changed his mind. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"You can help Casey compile an updated list of Volkoff's suppliers and subcontractors while Mr. B and I work on the client list," Morgan suggested helpfully.

-o-

After more than fifteen hours of traveling, there was nothing Sarah and Mary each wanted more, than a relaxing hot bath. Fortunately, Alexei Volkoff had seen fit to send a limo to pick them up at Domodedovo airport and drive them back to Mary's apartment.

"What did he tell you?" Sarah asked as she dumped her bags on the floor of her room." She was referring to a phone conversation between Mary and Volkoff during the drive from the airport.

"Not much. All major deals currently in progress are being postponed pending a full security review, which I was placed in charge of."

"OK. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a bubble bath."

"Me too. Don't worry about the water. The guest bathroom has a separate heater, so use as much of it as you want."

"Thanks." She went back to her room and removed her wig. Her watch was still on LA time and she saw that it was almost two in the morning back home. In Moscow, it was almost one in the afternoon. Then it came to her. She fished her phone out of her handbag and took a series of racy photos of herself, both with and without clothes on, the latter series while she was luxuriating in the bathtub. One day back home, she'd heard Morgan and Alex talk about something called 'sexting'. She'd asked Alex about it and now it looked like a good idea. It would certainly spice up her relationship with Chuck even more and make their time apart somewhat more bearable.

Apparently, a few hours ago, the same idea came to Morgan for cheering his buddy up, so when Ellie went to consult with her father on some of Chuck's test results, he snuck into the infirmary and began snapping pictures of Chuck as he sat there, shirt off and with various wires leading to monitors and cardiographs attached to his body and head. Chuck wasn't sure about the whole sexting concept, but Morgan encouraged him to try it. He even suggested some catchy lines, like 'The Cable Guy is coming'. Of course, he had to beat a quick retreat when Ellie returned, but now an appreciative Chuck had several useful photos in his cell phone.

-o-

Since they had the day off to relax, Sarah decided it might be fun to start sexting Chuck. He was faster, for as she picked her phone up from the nightstand it beeped, announcing an incoming message. She laughed when she saw a wired Chuck smiling at her and immediately sent him one of her own photos.

"Chuck, you have a message," Casey said.

"I'm a little busy here. Morgan, can you please give it a look?"

"Sure. Wow! Dude, I think it's a little personal." Fortunately, Sarah was fully clothed in the photo she'd sent.

"What do you mean…?" He took the phone from Morgan. "Hi-oh! How should I reply?"

"Use photo number 2, like I told you. Add 'Daddy likes', too."

"OK."

"Grimes, what the hell are you morons yammering about?"

"Chuck and Sarah are just sexting."

"I don't even know what that means."

"It's rather simple: they exchange suggestive photos between them. It's the modern way to show how much they miss each other. Alex and I do it all the time."

"Grimes…"

"I invoke Kathleen's approval of me," Morgan said hurriedly and hid behind his best friend.

"Guys, if you could please focus on the job at hand. Thank you. As I was saying, the mega flash I had revealed everything we have on Volkoff. Which brings us to the next subject: Hydra."

In Moscow, Mary decided to brief Sarah on certain parts of her assignment. She was about to knock on the door of the guest bedroom when she heard the young woman laugh. It elicited a small smile from her. Still smiling, she knocked.

"Come in," Sarah said cheerfully.

"I take it that you heard from my son."

"Yes."

"Good news?"

"Um…" Sarah blushed and started stammering. "Yes, I mean, he's OK and…"

"No need to say anything else, dear. You two have been exchanging naughty messages, haven't you?"

"How did you know?"

"I thought I heard beeping. It was your phone, wasn't it?"

"Oh." Sarah visibly relaxed.

"Don't be embarrassed. Stephen and I would probably do the same if we were your age. But now, we have to talk about our assignment."

"I'm listening."

"Alexei sent Armand, an assassin, to reacquire his best and most trusted bodyguard, Yuri the Gobbler."

"The Gobbler?" Sarah echoed incredulously.

"He's clinically a psychopath, who tends to bite pieces off his victims and eat them."

"Yikes. That's gross."

"Anyway, I think Yuri has something to do with Hydra."

"Hydra?"

"Hydra is Volkoff's network; a database of weapons, buyers, sellers, his entire infrastructure. Early on I realized that Hydra is more important than Volkoff himself."

"And how does this Gobbler fit in?"

"I don't know, but since he was arrested, the communications throughout Volkoff's network have virtually slowed to a halt."

"So, hopefully Armand brings Yuri to Volkoff and we try to find why he's so important and what his connection is to Hydra, right?"

"Correct. Then, we hack into the network and copy the database."

"And then our job is finished."

"We get to go back to our family."

In Castle, Chuck, Morgan and Casey were listening attentively to the facts about Hydra and its importance. "… And unfortunately, Hydra suddenly went offline, before I had the chance to try the programs I made specifically to counter it," Stephen finished the story.

"What do you mean by counter, Stephen?" Casey asked.

"There were two programs involved. The first, Hercules, would break into the network and copy the data, while the second, Iolaus, would keep Hydra's firewalls and other defensive programs busy."

"Your Dad knows his Greek mythology, Chuck."

"He does."

"But for the programs to work, Hydra needs to be online."

"Have them ready for use at a moment's notice. We'll then contact Walker and your wife and tell them to give us a heads-up the moment Hydra is reactivated."

-o-

"My dearest Frost, Ms. Franco, I'm sorry to have dragged you to the office this early in the day, but I have good news and it could not wait."

"Do tell us, Alexei." Standing beside Mary, Sarah stifled a yawn. Jet lag is brutal, she thought.

"Armand and Yuri will be arriving here shortly."

"That's good news indeed, Alexei." As if on cue, the door to the office opened and a huge man entered.

"Yuri, how nice to see you again," Volkoff said. He gave his associate a bear hug.

"Mr. Volkoff, it's nice to see you too. Thank you for all the effort you put into getting me out of jail."

"I was a bit lost when you got caught. I'd lost my most faithful bodyguard, not to mention the only person who can access the Hydra database, in one fell swoop."

"I am really sorry, sir."

"I'm not mad at you, Yuri, just… disappointed."

"Disappointed?"

"A little… no… _very_ disappointed!" Volkoff drew his gun and shot Yuri between the eyes. It was a testament to Sarah's training, experience and acting skills that she cried out in fear and looked away. After all, she was supposed to be a con artist and a thief, not a hardened killer. Mary was aghast.

"Alexei, what did you do?"

"Sorry, but I don't take disappointment well."

"He was the only one who knew about Hydra!"

"No, Yuri didn't know about Hydra. Yuri _was_ Hydra." He knelt by the corpse and poked around the dead man's left eye, finally removing it while the two women were looking on in disgust. Then, he attached it to a device on his desk.

"So, this is your database," Mary said finally.

"Oh, it's more than just a mere database. It's how I communicate with my people. None of them knows each other, none of them are aware of the part they play in my puzzle, but Hydra allows me to see everything. Hydra is the heart of Volkoff Industries."

"Impressive," Sarah said, still appearing shocked.

"It is," Volkoff smiled. "But the mere fact you've seen it, proves that it has a flaw." He placed the eyeball on his desk and smashed it. "Human error; humans have shortcomings. Yuri, for example, got careless and was captured. Thus, I realized what a risk the eye was."

"So you destroyed the whole system?"

"No, Ms. Franco, I just downloaded all the data to a more secure backup location."

"Good, there will hopefully be no more complications," Mary said. A piece of the now broken eyeball was by her foot. Sarah had seen it too. When Volkoff went to call for someone to remove Yuri's corpse from the office, Mary swiftly bent down, picked it up and stuffed it in a pocket.

"Now that one major problem was solved, you can both take the rest of the day off, go shopping, have fun."

"Thank you Mr. Volkoff," Sarah said.

"See you tomorrow, Alexei," Mary added as they exited the office.

-o-

"I never thought shopping in Moscow would be such fun," Sarah said as they entered yet another store. She took her fur hat off and shook the snowflakes from it. Mary just smiled.

"I'll take you for lunch to a nice place I know once we're done here."

"In the meantime, I'll load up on souvenirs."

Normally, one would expect the two agents to go straight to Mary's apartment and call the other members of their team to report. They knew what they were doing, however. They had to keep up appearances, just in case they were being watched. The opportunity arose to call Chuck when they got to the restaurant. After making sure that they had not been followed, Sarah went to the ladies' room. It was midnight in LA, so there was a good chance that Chuck might be awake, maybe playing games with Morgan. She smiled as she first sent him one of her pictures, captioned 'I need U'.

In Burbank, Chuck was relaxing with Morgan, Casey and Awesome, playing Risk and enjoying some beer.

"World domination… it never gets old," Casey quipped.

"I must say, we should do this more often and the ladies won't object, either." Devon was right. Ellie, Kathleen and Alex were gathered in Casa Awesome, having a ladies' night. Then, Chuck's phone beeped.

"Dude, you got a message," Morgan said, taking a swig of his beer.

"So I noticed. Let's see… Hell-O!"

"Walker is sexting again?"

Before Chuck could answer, his phone rang.

"Hi honey," he said.

"Did you get my message?"

"Message received and understood."

"I have news. Put it on speaker."

"It's on speaker, go ahead."

"Volkoff recovered the Hydra database and it's back online," Sarah said. Chuck's reaction was predictable.

"I heard you. Morgan, call my Dad, ask him to come here. Go on, Sarah."

"It was stored in a fake eye Volkoff's bodyguard Yuri the Gobbler had. Volkoff killed him and retrieved the eye. It was kind of like the scene in Pirates of the Caribbean, Chuck. You know, where Barbossa reveals that Ragetti's wooden eye is actually his Piece of Eight…"

"We get it, Walker, you have become a Nerd," Casey said.

"Mary and I are going to sneak into his office tonight to try and find out about Hydra's backup location. Volkoff smashed the eye, but Mary swiped a piece, which I'll send to you for examination. I've got to go now. I love you all, guys!"

"Good hunting, Walker."

"I love you, Sarah."

"Take care," Awesome said.

"Mr. B is on his way," Morgan said. "Good luck, Sarah. Give Mrs. B my best."

-o-

"Your husband really is a genius," Sarah said as she prepared to use a gadget Stephen had given them.

"It's one of his many endearing qualities."

"Chuck's just like him." She slid the puck-shaped object on the floor and waited until it sent her a signal that the security had been disabled. "Ellie is more like you." Sarah smiled and led the way into Volkoff's office. "Now, let's see where he sent the Hydra database."

"Sarah, what did you do with the piece of Yuri's eyeball I gave you?"

"I sent it to Chuck and Stephen, of course. They may be able to glean some data out of it."

"And how did you do that?" Mary asked and then noticed something on the holographic display of the Hydra terminal. "Hold on, this looks promising."

"I gave it to a friend who works for the FSB when we were out shopping. She's the one who helped us on the Depak/Manhovski case and she'll make sure it reaches Chuck as soon as possible."

"You did a great job, Sarah."

"Thanks. Look here, Volkoff sent the Hydra to someone referred to as The Contessa."

"Any clues as to her identity?"

"No. We have to get going now."

"OK. Don't forget Stephen's gadget."

-o-

Alexei Volkoff was not having a good day. The Project Beacon pipeline was under full attack by intelligence and law enforcement agencies all over the world. Arrests were being made, accounts were being frozen and front companies were being raided. His network of suppliers and subcontractors was affected, but it was his own businesses that bore the brunt and suffered the heaviest losses. The culprit for this catastrophe had even had the gall to claim responsibility.

"You called us, Alexei?" Frost asked as she and her new protégée were ushered in his office.

"Yes, my dear, we have a serious problem."

"What can I do to help?"

"I don't know. Project Beacon is under attack all across the globe and I know who's behind it."

"Who?"

"Orion."

"Alexei, that's way over my head. It's a cyber security matter and I'm afraid my expertise does not extend to that."

"There are other people working to fortify our systems against Orion. You have another job: Find Orion and bring me his head. And find out why he's taking it so personally. He had the nerve to taunt me earlier today and he claimed it's payback for all the trouble I have caused his family. I don't even know the man!"

"How are you so sure this Orion is a man, sir?" Sarah asked. She would enjoy muddying the waters even further.

"I don't care what Orion is! I want this person found and eliminated! You two are going to coordinate the effort, but right now you are coming with me. My jet is waiting."

-o-

More than twenty-four hours had passed since Mary retrieved the piece of the old Hydra. It only took twenty hours for the Hydra fragment to arrive to Burbank. Ilsa had used the FSB-CIA hotline, normally used for transmitting warnings regarding terrorist activity, to alert the CIA to its arrival. Graham personally arranged for it to be sent to Chuck and Stephen.

Sure enough, the moment Chuck took a good look at it, he flashed. The Intersect told him that it was indeed part of the Hydra data storage system. Stephen tested it and found it too damaged to retrieve useful information from. In addition, Chuck's flash included the name of the designer, a Roni Eimacher.

"We need to find this Eimacher," Casey said.

"If he designed the eye for Yuri the Gobbler, he may have designed the storage system for the Contessa," Chuck agreed.

"I'll get on it right away." Morgan moved to his workstation and started a search for Eimacher.

"In the meantime, I'll keep up the attack on Volkoff's overseas accounts, since for some reason my programs failed to give us access to Hydra. I'll take a look at the code later to see if I missed anything," Stephen said.

"Got him! He's an engineering professor at UC Irvine. I traced his account for an online multiplayer fantasy game."

"Let's go, it's time for a little snatch and grab and then for a bad cop-worse cop routine, Morgan," Chuck said.

*grunt* (this is going to be fun to watch)

"Don't worry, Casey, we'll let you know if we need the very bad cop as well."

Casey's services were not required, as it turned out. Eimacher was sufficiently intimidated to reveal that Volkoff had coerced him into designing the Hydra, which was located on the Contessa. She was not a person, but a ship.

Volkoff had bought the Contessa on Craigslist, as he told Sarah and Mary when he showed them aboard after they finally arrived at their destination. Adding to Volkoff's worries was Mary's ingenious idea to start nagging about him having them fly back and forth between Moscow and California all the time, as this was her third trip in a single week. It was tiring, but neither she nor Sarah minded, as they got to see their families. This trip, they both hoped, would be the last.

Tracking the Contessa's whereabouts, obtaining permission to board and search her, plus requisitioning the necessary equipment took time. Sarah and Mary were already on the ship, which was underway when Devon steered the black inflatable parallel to it so that Chuck, Morgan and Casey could sneak aboard. They had managed to remain unseen by riding the Contessa's wake. This time, Ellie not only knew about the mission, but she was part of it, standing by ashore with her father, ready to provide support as required. The whole Bartowski family was together in this.

"I'd missed the Black Pearl," Morgan said as he checked his gear.

"Last time we used her was fun. Everyone clear on the plan? No shooting unless we can't help it, copy that, Casey?"

"Don't worry, Moron."

"We zip in, we find the Hydra, we copy the data, we zip out, taking Mom and Sarah with us."

"And then the Navy will blast this rust bucket out of the water, if Volkoff is not inclined to play nice," Casey said.

Sarah and Mary were enjoying the sea breeze, standing on the starboard bridge wing. They hadn't been assigned much work before nightfall, but seeing Volkoff rant about more recently emptied bank accounts had been highly entertaining to both.

"This ends tonight, Sarah. No matter what happens, you are going home."

"What about you?"

"I'll finish my mission at all costs."

"No, I can't let you do that. We promised Chuck, Ellie and Stephen that we'll be back, both of us."

"I made many promises in my life. Very few I managed to keep."

"Mary…"

"Sarah, you are like a daughter to me. I need you to do something for me. Make Chuck happy, he deserves that much."

"I'm not leaving you!" Sarah insisted, tears forming in her eyes.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Mary replied cryptically and gave Sarah a loving hug. "Let's go do our job." She led the way towards the main deck.

"Psssst!"

"Chuck?"

"Hi Mom, hi Sarah," Chuck said brightly. Sarah launched herself at him and gave him a quick kiss.

"What are you doing here?"

"We figured you might need backup," Casey said, emerging from the shadows.

"Like Chuck said, the more the merrier," Morgan added, appearing from behind a deck ventilator.

"We all have an equal interest into seeing this through."

"Follow me," Mary said. They all reached the deck above the main engine room and Mary prepared to shoot the guards posted at the door of the compartment housing the Hydra servers. Chuck stopped her and just used his tranq gun to neutralize Volkoff's men. Stephen had given them a device to bypass any electronic lock, no matter how sophisticated. Thus, they gained entry into the Hydra room without incident. Casey and Sarah stood guard, while Mary started working on copying the data in preparation for sending it to a CIA server, Chuck assisting her.

"All I have to do now is press the send button," Mary said. She did, but the system asked her for voice print identification.

"Crap! Mom, the defensive system is activating! I'll stall it for a few minutes, but we need to get out of here, now!"

"You guys go and take Sarah with you. I'm not leaving until I find out how to access the system!"

"Chuck, put your mother on the line," Stephen commanded over the radio.

"It's Dad, he wants to talk to you," Chuck said, handing Mary his radio, and headset.

"Honey, listen to me! Leave the ship with the others, now! Casey, do you copy?"

"I copy."

"Plant a GLG-20 bug in the room and hide its relay transmitter among the piping and wiring outside or maybe in a ventilation duct. With any luck, we'll get Volkoff's pass code this way."

"Roger that. Done. Time to get the Hell out of Dodge. Woodcomb, we are going into phase two, I repeat, phase two."

"I'm still in position, guys," Devon replied."

As they ran out the Hydra room, Chuck reset the lock and the alarm system. If it went off, it would be attributed to a glitch. Chuck and Sarah had each grabbed one of Mary's arms and were pulling her along with them, not that she was resisting or anything. The sole of one of Sarah's boots slipped on a wet spot and she banged a knee on a hatch coaming. She would have fallen flat on her face but for her grip on Chuck's Mom. She let go of her son and assisted Sarah as she limped towards the ship's pilot ladder. It would be hard for her to climb down it unaided, so Chuck just lowered the accommodation ladder, normally used to board or leave the ship while in port. Devon had been carefully maintaining the same speed as the Contessa. When all the others came aboard the Black Pearl, he throttled back, allowing the inflatable to fall back into the larger vessel's wake. Then he reversed course and gunned the engine.

Stephen and his daughter were waiting on the beach to greet them. The craft's keel grounded on the sandy bottom and its momentum carried it over the surf line and onto dry sand, thus enabling its occupants to make a feet-dry landing. Ellie ran to them and hugged her Mom. When she noticed Sarah limp out supported by Chuck, she went into doctor mode.

"Sarah, are you hurt?"

"I'm OK."

"You should take a look at her knee, sis, she tripped and banged it."

"Sit," Ellie commanded as she guided her to the van. "Roll up your pant leg."

"It's really no need, I'm fine," Sarah protested.

"Really?" Ellie gave her knee a squeeze.

"Dammit, Ellie! Why do you always have to hurt me to make a point?" Sarah hissed through clenched teeth.

"There is very little swelling, fortunately." She flicked on a light. "And some bruising," she added. "Devon, give me an ice pack and an elastic knee brace or an Ace bandage, please. Sarah, you'll also need to keep your weight off the leg for a day or two."

"That's it?" Chuck asked.

"You can bring her in at the hospital for X-Rays, if you want."

"We are going to the hospital right now."

"Chuck," Sarah began.

"No, Sarah, I need to make sure you're OK."

"It won't take long," Devon assured them. "The radiologist on duty tonight is a friend and owes me a few favors."

"How does it feel to be Ellie's crash dummy, sorry, human body simulator, Walker?"

"Shut up, Casey." There was no malice in her voice, but rather humor. It was a partner thing.

The X-Rays showed no serious damage to Sarah's knee, so Ellie just prescribed some painkillers and plenty of rest for her. Afterwards, they all went home to Echo Park and reported to Graham and Beckman using Casey's communications system.

"What happens now?" Graham asked. "The covers of Agents Walker and Bartowski at Volkoff Industries are blown."

"I can answer that," Stephen said. "The moment Volkoff accesses the Hydra system, we'll have his password. Using this, my programs will make short work of Hydra. Volkoff is yours then."

"Be sure to let us know," Beckman said.

"I've been waiting for this moment for twenty years now. Rest assured, we'll all celebrate together."

"The bug is picking up something!" Chuck yelled.

"Turn the volume up!" Stephen commanded.

"_There is no sign of a break-in, sir. It must have been a system error."_

"_I'd like to verify the integrity of the data. Armand, please go find Frost and ask her to come down here."_

"He won't find me, Alexei," Mary chuckled.

"_Death is the solution to all problems," Volkoff said. A computer voice replied with an 'Access Granted'. "It is a phrase from my favorite humanitarian and poet, Joseph Stalin__," he explained to one of his lieutenants._

"Gotcha!" Stephen exclaimed enthusiastically. He typed a few commands into his Orion wrist computer. "General, Director, the Hydra data should all be in one of your servers in less than five minutes. Hercules and Iolaus are working."

"Thank you Stephen. Team, you all did a great job. Thank you," Graham said.

"We'll send a unit to arrest Volkoff," Beckman added.

"General, Walker told us that the ship is equipped with surface to air missiles and antiaircraft guns," Casey said.

"The US Navy will take care of the matter, Colonel. Thanks for the warning."

"What will happen to Alexei Volkoff, General?" Sarah asked.

"He'll be put on trial for his crimes against the United States."

"I suggest you extradite him to Russia."

"Why should we do that?"

"In Russia, Volkoff will face pretty much the same charges, plus one he won't have to if tried in the US: treason. It's enough to ensure him a permanent stay in a Siberian penal colony."

"It's a fitting punishment," Graham agreed.

"Your suggestion is duly noted, Agent Walker. Goodnight everyone. Take some time off, you've earned it." The screen went blank.

"Take me home, Chuck."

"Wait!" Mary called. "Sarah, thank you for helping me so much."

"I owe a lot to Chuck, Mary. It was the least I could do for him, for all of you."

"Chuck, no hanky-panky with Sarah tonight. She needs to rest her leg, OK?" Ellie said.

"Doctors are such spoilsports," Sarah said facetiously.

"Seriously, keep it in your pants, guys," Devon's delivery of the medical advice was more crude, but effective nonetheless.

"Okay, Devon. Is cuddling allowed?"

"Yes, but don't overdo it and keep the leg straight."

"Copy that," Sarah said and leaned on Chuck for support. _Stupid wet deck, stupid hatch coaming and stupid knee_, she thought. It ruined her plans for a rather… lively post-mission celebration, but it didn't dampen her spirits. After all, she really loved being pampered by her boyfriend.

"Goodnight guys," Chuck said as he carried her to the Morgan Door and into their room. "Come to our place for breakfast in the morning."


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33 – Welcome to the Jungle**

"Good morning Casey," Chuck said cheerfully as he and Sarah headed for his car to drive to work.

"Bartowski, Walker, good morning," Casey replied.

"Have a nice day, partner," Sarah said brightly. With no missions to distract them and with her knee fine once again, she'd kept her boyfriend busy making up for the lost tine due to her absence when she had been undercover in Volkoff Industries. Naturally, he had doubled his efforts to please her, as a thank you gesture for helping Mary return to her family.

Chuck's Mom had also been busy. Not only had she resumed the role of wife, mother and soon to be grandmother, but she was once again Orion's partner, professionally. Graham was only too happy to agree to this arrangement.

"Aren't you forgetting something, John?" Kathleen asked. She had recently moved in with her man, and rented her house out. Alex, quite naturally, had been enthusiastic about it.

"No, I'm not. The shopping list is in my pocket." He then gave her a quick kiss. "Where's Alex?" Kathleen had been able to rent her house out because Alex had moved in with Morgan. He and Casey had sat down for a talk not too long ago, and Morgan confessed that he was hopelessly in love with Alex. Casey, who was seeing every day the lengths Morgan was going to in order to make her happy, finally gave in and gave their relationship his blessing.

"Morgan drove her to school earlier."

"I should probably get her a car. Nothing too fancy, but she's doing well at school and she deserves it, don't you agree?"

"You are taking the father business seriously, I see," Kathleen said with a smile. "Just don't get her a Crown Vic."

"Duly noted. See you later."

-o-

"Buddy, now that Sarah's out on company business, I need to have a word with you," Chuck said, entering Morgan's office.

"Take a seat, my friend. The Doctor of Love is ready to listen to you." He picked up a pad and pen from his desk, while Chuck made himself comforatble on the couch.

"I was thinking about proposing to Sarah," Chuck said without preamble.

"Dude, this is awesome!"

"What I don't know is how she'll take it."

"A gazillion to one she'll say yes."

"You seem pretty sure of it."

"Why not? I mean, her parents' wedding is coming up in a few days and she's enthusiastic about it. She's also spending a lot of time with Ellie, plus she and Mrs. B are inseparable. Your Mom is a role model for her. In my book, it means she's ready to take the next step and I think she knows it."

"You may be right," Chuck said, after thinking it over. "But I'll need your help."

"What do you want me to do?"

"First of all, I'll need a proposal plan."

"I can help you draft one."

"Good. Then, I'll have to find a suitable ring. Your part in this will be to help keep her in the dark about my plans."

"Consider it done."

The break from missions they had proved to be rather fortuitous. Even Casey was not complaining about the inactivity on the spy front. He had his family and his cover job to keep busy. If he needed excitement, he got it by training Morgan. Chuck and Sarah however, couldn't care less about the lack of missions.

-o-

The big day for the Walker family finally arrived. The whole gang, including Carina, was gathered inside the courthouse, waiting for Jack and Katie. The ceremony was short and sweet. Stephen and Mary signed as witnesses. When they emerged out in the street, Jack and Katie were Mr. and Mrs. Walker once again. Their daughters were positively glowing with happiness. The celebration was held in the Walker house.

"John, I'll be forever grateful to you for recommending this baby," Jack said, fiddling with his Beast Master 2000 grill. The celebration included a family barbecue, among other things.

"It was my pleasure, Jack. Can I get you another beer?"

"None of us is driving tonight, so yes, I'd love one."

"What do you think those two are up to?" Jack pointed a spatula at his daughters, who were sitting on a bench, laughing.

"I don't know. But I wouldn't be surprised if Sarah were to get married soon."

"You know something we don't?" Katie asked.

"I know Chuck. Seeing how happy you are and how happy his folks are, he's sure to propose to her. And I think he'll do it sooner rather than later."

"John's got a point, honey," Jack admitted.

"Hey guys," Chuck said, joining them. "So, are you still insisting on keeping your honeymoon destination a secret? Not that Sarah and Carina can't find out, anyway."

"You want the truth, Charlie? We, um…"

"We haven't decided yet, Chuck," Katie said. "It sounds silly, but we kept postponing making a decision and now we are married, with no idea as to where to spend a short honeymoon."

"I can help," Stephen said. I own a cabin in the woods. It's near Bishop, less than fifteen minutes drive from the town, in fact. It's got power, telephone, broadband internet and water."

"Thank you Stephen!" Katie enthused. Then she turned to her husband. "We can stay in Stephen's cabin for a week and then go spend another week on the coast."

"It's a good plan," Jack agreed.

Casey, in the meantime, was deep in thought. He mechanically went through the motions of eating his hot dog, but his mind was racing at a million miles an hour. Finally, he made his decision. The course he resolved to take had potential pitfalls, but no guts, no glory.

"Look at them," he told Kathleen, who sat down to enjoy a burger next to him.

"Who are you referring to," she asked humorously, "Jack and Katie, or Stephen and Mary?"

"All of them," he replied.

"They are all so happy."

"Will it make you just as happy if we were to finish what we started twenty years ago?"

"John, are you saying…?"

"Yes, Kathleen, I am asking you again. Will you marry me?"

"It _will_ make me just as happy, John. That's a yes, by the way." She reached behind her neck and unclasped a golden chain, pulling it off. Hanging from it was the original engagement ring Alex Coburn had given her. He took it from her, knelt and slipped it on her finger. She pulled him up to her and they kissed. Only then did they notice all the others looking approvingly at them, and that was just because of the thunderous applause.

-o-

A smartly dressed man knocked on the door of the Woodcomb residence and patiently waited for someone to answer. Sarah saw him while she was cleaning up in the living room after yet another movie night.

"The Drs. Woodcomb are both at work," she said, coming out into the courtyard.

"Thank you, Senorita," he said. "I'll have to drop by again later."

"Or you can tell me what it is about."

"I have a message for Mr. Casey, Mr. Bartowski, Ms. Walker and of course the Woodcombs."

"I am Sarah Walker," she said. Out of habit, her hand went to a sheathed knife hidden in the waistband of her jeans.

"I am Alfonso Ortega from the Costa Gravan Consulate, Senorita," he said and bowed formally. They shook hands.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Ortega."

"I am bringing you a formal invitation from the Premier to attend the Independence Day celebrations in Costa Gravas next week." He handed her an envelope. "Inside, you'll find contact details, so that we can arrange for you to fly to Costa Gravas."

"Thank you," she said. They shook hands again and Senor Ortega left. Sarah went back inside the apartment, turning the envelope over in her hands.

"Hey Sarah, we've got mail?" Chuck asked, coming into the living room fresh from the shower, dressed, but with his chocolate curls still wet.

"A guy from the Costa Gravan consulate was just here."

"So Goya remembered and invited us to attend their national day, huh?"

"What do you think?"

"About spending few days in the Caribbean? I think it'll be just as good as our European vacation."

"Even better, I think," she said. We'll have sun, sand and sea, not to mention a welcome change of scenery."

"The first three we can get right here."

"Yes, but the Caribbean is the Caribbean, Chuck. There will be places to see."

"No argument here. Hey, Casey!" He'd seen the big man in the courtyard and ran to the window.

"What's up, Bartowski?"

"I have good news. We just got invitations to attend the National Day celebrations in Costa Gravas."

"I'll get to stock up on cigars and local booze then. Thanks for the news, Bartowski."

"Hey, what are those?"

"Brochures; I'm looking to buy Alex a car, her first car."

"I can get you one for free," Sarah said.

"You can?" Casey asked.

"She can," Chuck said. "In fact, I know exactly what she's thinking."

"How can you possibly know what I'm thinking, Chuck? Last time I checked, the Intersect can't give you psychic abilities."

"Ah, but you forget the Sarah Walker Intersect."

*grunt* (please spare me the mushy stuff)

"And what does it tell you?"

"When we were on the suburbs mission, you mentioned something about your first car, a Volkswagen Rabbit convertible, as I recall."

"Is he right, Walker?"

"He is," Sarah replied, looking admiringly at Chuck. "I have held on to it. All we will to do is to have it shipped over here. It can be easily arranged. It's in excellent condition, don't worry."

"Thanks, Walker, I'll owe you one."

"I'll just make a phone call," she said smiling. It took her only a few minutes to arrange for her beloved little first car to be transported to LA.

-o-

"Dude, this is PERFECT!" Morgan exclaimed enthusiastically while walking to the stores with Chuck.

"I know. I'll get to spend more days with Sarah away from work."

"You just don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?"

"This non-mission mission is the perfect opportunity to propose to Sarah, Chuck! Scrap the current proposal plan and just go with your heart, be impulsive. Think about it: perfect white sand, waves crashing on the surf, moonlight, just the two of you, maybe a small bonfire…"

"It all sounds perfect."

"Of course it does. So there you go, you have your new mission."

"Hurry up, we are going to the jeweler's. I spotted the perfect ring yesterday, but I was with Sarah, so I couldn't do anything about it. We'll do the rest of the shopping immediately afterwards."

-o-

"Where is Agent Walker?" Beckman asked, not seeing Sarah in Castle.

"She's attending to some business, General," Casey replied.

"What's the occasion for this meeting? Did Chuck flash on anything?" Graham asked.

"No sir. This morning, we received an invitation from the Costa Gravan premier to attend the national day celebrations. Goya invited me, Sarah, Ellie, Devon and Casey."

"You should accept the invitation. Our relations with Costa Gravas are getting better and better with every passing day. Maybe Colonel Casey can fill in for the US embassy's defense attaché."

"Thank you General. But there is another thing I'd like to ask you about."

"Go ahead, Colonel."

"Casey, buddy, this is not exactly work, for crying out loud!" Chuck said, faking exasperation. "You don't need permission to take Kathleen with you on this trip!"

"Bartowski! Grrr…!"

"Chuck is right, Colonel. The NSA has no problem with taking your, um… I mean Ms. McHugh along."

"Fiancée, General," Casey offered. "Ms. McHugh and I are once again engaged to be married."

"In that case, congratulations are in order John. Better late than never, as they say."

"Thank you ma'am."

"See? It wasn't that hard, was it?" Chuck said after the teleconference ended. Casey contacted the consulate and told them that the team accepted Goya's offer.

"Coffee, anyone?" Mary asked. The others all nodded. She led the way to the lounge. It looked different than it did before, and it was all Morgan's handiwork. The walls were decorated with photos, mostly stills from surveillance videos taken during missions, Morgan's first target from the indoor firing range and even a commemorative plaque given to them by the Kamov company. There was even a trophy case, where mementos of various missions were displayed, like the flash drive with the Fulcrum Intersect, Sarah's broken cell phone from the day she met Chuck for the first time, a glass replica of the diamond they had stolen from Peyman Alahi, Lichtenstein Enterprises paraphernalia, the note congratulating them on managing to enter when spy proofing the downtown facility, Xavier Cruz's Ring phone, the sword Chuck had used to defeat Hugo Panzer, Jack Artman's syringe, the Black Pearl's Jolly Roger flag, the Q36 game copier, one of Sarah's souvenirs from Moscow and the Hydra fragment. Morgan claimed that it made for a warmer, homey atmosphere. Mary's cookies were excellent, too.

"Having fun without me?" Sarah asked after taking the elevator down to Castle.

"I saved you some cookies," Mary said, handing her a plate and a mug full of coffee.

"Thanks. So, how did it go with the bosses?"

"They are treating it as sort of a mission. We got approval for the trip to Costa Gravas," Chuck said. Sarah smiled over her mug and took a sip of the coffee. It was a smile full of promises. The supply closet would definitely be visited later.

A couple of days later, when Sarah had gone to Union Station to pick up the car, Chuck put initiated another phase of his plan. He put on a nice suit and hurried to the Walker residence. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, he knocked. The person who answered was none other than Carina.

"Chuckles, what a nice surprise, come in, don't just stand there." She hugged him and kissed him on both cheeks.

"Thanks. Are Jack and Katie home?"

"They haven't left for work yet. Mom, Dad, Chuck's here!"

"Hey Charlie, how are you doing?" Jack asked, pumping Chuck's hand. Katie hugged him.

"I'm doing great, thanks. It's fortunate that you are all here, because we need to talk."

"Sit down and tell us everything."

"Thanks Katie. You all know my feelings for Sarah. I love her and I can't imagine my life without her in it, so I decided to take the next step. In short, do I have your permission to marry Sarah?"

"Son, you have our blessing," Jack said.

"Our baby girl is going to be so happy!" Katie practically squealed.

"I wish I could see the look on her face when you pop the big Q," Carina said, rubbing her hands together in delight. "When are you going to propose to her, anyway?"

"Thank you all. Carina, we are going to Costa Gravas in a few days, and I'll propose to her there."

"I've been there recently, for work. It's a beautiful place and the people are great, too."

"Show us the ring, Chuck," Katie said.

"Here it is." He took the small red box from a pocket and snapped it open. The Walkers gathered around to see it.

"Look at that stone!" Carina exclaimed.

"It's beautiful," Katie added, nodding her approval.

"Sarah deserves the best," Chuck smiled.

"She already has it, son. She has you."

"Not just me, Jack. She has all of us, two families who love her and will soon be _our_ family, hers and mine."

"Well said."

"I have to be going, lest she get suspicious. I don't want the surprise ruined. Thank you all, it was great seeing you again."

"You can tell us all about it when we return from our honeymoon. We are leaving tomorrow and we'll be gone for a couple of weeks."

-o-

Alex got off the bus and walked the rest of the way to the apartment complex on Franklin Street. Today, Morgan had been too busy to come pick her up from school. The first thing she saw was her boyfriend, her roommates and her parents gathered together by her Dad's Crown Vic.

"Hey guys, what's up? Are you going to work? Morgan, weren't you supposed to be on a business meeting?"

"We wrapped it up early, but you would have already been on your way home, so I just decided to meet you here."

"We have something to tell you," Kathleen said.

"More good news, I hope, Mom."

"It is good news. Come here." Casey put an arm around his daughter's shoulders and led her behind his car, where he showed her a yellow Volkswagen. "This is for you."

"My first car," Alex said. "Thanks Dad!"

"Don't thank me, thank Sarah. It's her car."

"Really?"

"Yes, Alex, it was my first car. You can have it for as long as you want. Just take good care of it."

"I will. You are all awesome, guys!"

"We'll go to the DMV in the morning to get new plates and update the registration."

"I can't wait!" Alex hugged Sarah.

-o-

At the end of a busy day, Sarah pulled several items from the closet and arranged them neatly on the bed. She then stepped back and looked at the bikinis, each with its matching pareo, before grabbing the first one and trying it on, looking at it in the full length mirror with a critical eye. The others followed in quick succession.

"Sarah, I'm back… Hi-oh!" Chuck had just seen her in her teal green bikini.

"OK, help me here; this one, or the leopard print?"

"Let me see…" His gaze wandered from his girlfriend's perfect body to the bikini in her hand to the gold lamé, fuchsia, white with gold rings on the straps and gold-studded black bikinis on the bed. "All of them," he decided.

"All of them?" Sarah echoed.

"Yes. You'll not have to worry about waiting for one pair to dry before you change."

"OK. It's not that they take up too much room anyway. But you need to work on your bikini skills."

"Huh?"

"Take this one off of me, Chuck." She pressed her body to his and kissed him. Still kissing, they fell on the bed. Chuck quickly untied the bikini's strings and she ripped his shirt open. The passion once again spilled over the dam and they didn't stop until they were both completely exhausted. They would do their packing in the morning. Right now, they needed the rest to recharge.

-o-

Alejandro and Hortencia Goya both came to the Quatro Vientos airbase outside the capital to greet their guests of honor when the presidential aircraft landed. They welcomed the three agents, the Woodcombs and Casey's fiancée warmly and instructed the driver of the limousine to take the scenic route to the city. The scenery was breathtaking, not even the roar of jet engines as the air force prepared for the parade detracting the slightest from it.

A couple of hours later, Casey was resplendent in his Marine Corps dress uniform, while Chuck, Sarah, Devon, Ellie and Kathleen were wearing suits as they took their places on the review stand. The full might of the Costa Gravan military was displayed that day. The ground shook from the growl of diesel engines as tanks, armored infantry vehicles, self-propelled and towed artillery, engineer vehicles and the like passed four abreast in the wide boulevard by the presidential palace, while air force aircraft and helicopters flew overhead in perfect finger four formations. Other military and law enforcement formations marched by after the mechanized forces. A 21-gun salute marked the beginning and the end of the parade.

"Fellow Costa Gravans, foreign friends," Goya began his speech at the reception in the presidential palace in the evening, "many of you know that I wouldn't be here today had it not been for the doctor who treated, me after an attempt was made on my life while I was visiting the States not long ago, and the heroism of another man I am proud to call a friend. Without further ado, I present the statue of Dr. Woodcomb, the first one to save my life back then." He pulled a shroud, unveiling a statue of Devon in his scrubs, a stethoscope worn around his neck.

"I… well, thank you sir, this is awesome," Devon managed to say.

"You are welcome. In addition, I am proud to award the Order of Merit to the man who risked his own life saving me from a second assassination attempt, Colonel John Casey. Hortencia, mi amor, please do the honors."

"Gladly, Alejandro," Hortencia replied. "We have cleared it with your superiors, but we asked them not to say anything, so as not to ruin the surprise," she said, pinning the medal to Casey's uniform. He was a military officer, so the award wouldn't attract undue attention. Privately, the Goyas awarded medals to Chuck and Sarah as well. Graham and Beckman had requested that their covers not be compromised.

"I'm so proud of you guys," Ellie said when the band took a break.

"Thanks sis."

"John, I'll have you explain all your medals to me later, in detail," Kathleen said from Casey's side.

"Just don't expect to hear any classified information."

"I don't want to. Use your discretion."

They made some small talk and then the band started playing again. Devon and Ellie declined to dance, and retired to their table. The Goyas congratulated them when they learned that Ellie was pregnant and Hortencia ordered a special non alcoholic cocktail for her. It was a very popular concoction and Ellie loved it. In the meantime…

"Would you like to dance with me, Sarah?" Chuck said, as the band played a tango.

"I thought you'd never ask," Sarah said with a smile.

"Not again," was the meaning of a grunt originating from somewhere behind them.

For Chuck and Sarah, the following day was spent exploring the city, swimming in the clear water of a nearby beach, having a long relaxing stint in their suite's hot tub, and of course, testing the king size bed and the bedroom's soundproofing to their limits.

On their third day in Costa Gravas, after their morning swim, a shower romp and a light lunch, Chuck declared that he was going shopping for more souvenirs. Sarah sent him merrily on his way, intending to spend time with Ellie and Kathleen. Like Morgan, the former was privy to Chuck's proposal plans, but had been sworn to secrecy and in any case was a willing confederate.

But as the hours passed with no sign of Chuck, Sarah began to get worried. Although Chuck could have very well been busy acting like a tourist, he could have called. Somehow, she knew he was in trouble and confided that much to Casey. He advised her to keep Ellie calm, while he would make some discreet inquiries.

"The Chief of Police just called. He has some information to share with us," Goya said when they convened for a meeting. He had taken personal interest in the case, and now he, Hortencia, his chief of security and his American guests were assembled in his office. Soon, the Chief of Police was also ushered in.

"Report," Goya said brusquely.

"Generalissimo, based on eyewitness accounts, your missing friend joined a group of American tourists and went sightseeing with them. Unfortunately, they decided to stop for refreshments in a cantina over at Coronado Hill."

"What happened there?" Sarah asked.

"From what we've been able to ascertain, they walked right into the middle of a drug deal."

"Mierda!" Goya swore. "The narcos took them and will now hold them for ransom."

"We can't have this, Alejandro," Hortencia said. "Tourists must be safe, not to mention that we hate the narcos, too."

"Do you know where they may have taken them?" Ellie asked.

"Si," the Chief of Police replied. "They took them deep in the jungle."

"Calm down, everyone," Casey said. "Walker, was Bartowski wearing his watch?"

"Of course he was."

"Good. I'll call the base and have Stephen start a satellite trace. With any luck, we'll know his whereabouts within the hour."

"Do it," Sarah said.

"I'm putting a Special Forces unit at the Police's disposal," Goya declared. "Colonel, Ms. Walker, you may participate in the operation, if you wish."

"We are in," Casey affirmed.

"Devon, stay with Ellie and Kathleen," Sarah commanded. Then, her expression softened. "We'll bring him back, Ellie. I promise."

"I know. Besides, I also know what he's capable of, so I'm not worried – much."

When they got Casey's call, Stephen and Mary became Orion and Frost again. As for Morgan, he used the contacts he knew of to book himself a flight out to Costa Gravas. Loaded with equipment, he let Sarah know he was coming to help. Incredibly, neither she nor Casey yelled at him. They knew how fiercely loyal he was to Chuck, so they just went to meet him at the airport.

-o-

"Well, buddy, I guess we dragged you down with us," Grant, the group leader told Chuck. The tourists were locked in a shed made of corrugated tin. They had been taken there after a long drive over rough trails.

"Hey, you wouldn't have known that the cantina was chock-full of drug dealers. It was not your fault."

"You seem awfully relaxed. We are all kind of freaking out here."

"That's because I know we'll be out of here before tomorrow morning."

"I wouldn't be quite so optimistic, if I were you."

"Don't underestimate the local law, my friend. The authorities have been going after drug smugglers with a vengeance and they are not about to risk losing tourism revenue by allowing them to operate freely." Of course, Chuck didn't yet mention that Sarah and Casey would move heaven and earth to find him. But he could do something to help speed things along. He simply pressed the emergency locator beacon button on his watch. The narcos had not bothered to take it from him, since they had their own fancy watches.

-o-

"Guys, check this out," Morgan said, turning his Orion laptop so that Casey and Sarah could see the display. "Chuck just activated his emergency locator."

"It's not very far from here," Sarah commented.

"Can I please take a look?" Major Miguel Ortiz, commander of the Halcones (Falcons) Special Forces battalion said.

"Sure thing, Major."

"It's not far, but the terrain is difficult. The fastest way in would be by helicopter, but it's too noisy and we can't afford to give them advance warning of our approach."

"What about an amphibious landing?" Casey asked.

"The force would have to land either here or here and can be seen from the headlands," Ortiz replied, indicating two small beaches on either side of a cove. Assaulting the objective directly from the sea is not something I would recommend, Colonel."

"Thank you Major."

"We are getting satellite imagery of the area," Sarah said. "There are few structures visible. The rest must be under the vegetation."

"How's the terrain form here to here?" Morgan asked, indicating two points on a map.

"It's heavily forested rolling hills. There are also several streams, small rivers actually, flowing to the sea."

"Are they fordable?" Casey asked.

"Yes, easily and at several points, even for a person on foot."

"The way I see it, we could follow the highway to this point, then proceed on foot, until we find the stream leading to the cove. I don't think they'll be expecting Major Ortiz's unit to appear suddenly out of the jungle," Morgan said.

"Excellent tactical thinking, Morgan," Sarah said approvingly.

"It's workable, assuming the banks are not too steep."

"They are mostly not steep, Colonel."

"Major, assemble your unit. Then, you and Colonel Casey will brief your men," Goya said. "I need not stress the importance of this operation."

"I'm fully aware of it, sir. It will be done as you ordered."

-o-

"Tell me you have good news," Ellie said anxiously.

"We have good news, Ellie," Casey replied. "We know exactly where Chuck is and we are going in to get him."

"Good luck, John," Devon said.

"You just worry about the ladies, Captain."

"Yes sir."

"Ellie," Casey said, "I know how worried you are right now, and so I'm just going to tell you something about Walker that I read in her file. A few years ago, her sister managed to get herself in a fix during an op in Thailand. Sarah was the leader of the team sent in to get Carina and her partner out."

"What happened?"

"The locals are still terrified of her. They even gave her a nickname, which I will refrain from mentioning right now, but it's indicative of the lengths she will go to for the people she loves."

"Be careful out there, you hear me?"

"Nah, in all probability, we'll find our job mostly done – by Chuck."

The Halcones battalion was headquartered near the Presidential Guard. Before the briefing, Sarah and Casey browsed through the armory for weapons and battledress uniforms. She chose the Tiger Stripe BDU pants and a black tank top to wear under a chest rig in which she put her ammunition and other equipment. Casey went for a full Tiger Stripe BDU and a chest rig. Then, they followed forty heavily armed commandos and boarded two buses, which took them to the point on the highway suggested by Morgan, who was also accompanying them.

-o-

"You hear that?" Grant asked.

"They are singing," Chuck said, after listening for a moment. "They must be blind drunk, not that I blame them. The local drinks are quite potent. But they still had to go ahead and massacre one of my favorite songs." _Not even Sarah is so bad when she's singing at the top of her lungs in the shower_, he thought. "I guess now is our chance."

"Excuse me?"

Instead of replying, Chuck went over to a rope hanging from one of the roof beams and tested it with his weight. It held firm, so he flashed on advanced gymnastics and started climbing up the rope.

"What are you doing, Chuck?"

"Grant, relax. I've done this many times. My team mates are on the way and I want to help them from the inside." Then he saw Grant's expression. "Yeah, I kind of forgot to mention that I am a humble public servant and I've been in this kind of situation before." He said no more as he kept climbing until he reached the beam. He hauled himself up on it and made his way to the nearest skylight. To his immense satisfaction, it was unlocked and it opened at a touch.

"Who is this guy?" Nellie, one of the other tourists asked.

"He said he's a public servant. In my book, given what he's doing right now, it means either military or law enforcement."

"Well, he's got nice buns," another woman, a young brunette by the name of Elise, added. "I wonder if he's single."

"Don't drool over him, Elise," Grant said. "He has a girlfriend and it's serious. I know, he told me."

"Pity. But whoever she is, she's a really lucky woman."

On the roof, Chuck was remembering Mexico, when Javier Cruz had abducted him and Sarah. There was even a cable strung between the roof and a nearby Quonset hut and it was a made-to-order zip line, so he took his belt off and made his way to the ground.

-o-

The trek through the jungle was easier than Sarah originally expected. Of course, they were following the stream and they were making good time. Casey was right in his element as he followed Major Ortiz. She sneaked a glance at Morgan. Sweat was flowing freely from his brow and into his beard, but he did not complain once. He was as anxious as she was to get to Chuck in time.

One of the commandos, who was scouting ahead, approached Ortiz and whispered something in his ear.

"Good news?" Casey asked.

"Very," Ortiz replied. "Most of the narcos are drunk. They are clearly not expecting us. Vamos!"

"I'll go right," Sarah said.

"Grimes and I will cover you," Casey assured her. She left her AK rifle and chest rig in Morgan's care, keeping only her pistol and knives, holding one between her teeth, before wading into the black waters of the stream and quietly swimming to the far bank. She has halfway across when the door of a hut opened and several people came out.

"You are making me a most generous offer, Mr. Kourpasiri," said the smuggler boss to an Asian man with an ugly scar on his left cheek.

"You can also tell your suppliers and clients that I am not trying to muscle in on their business," Kourpasiri said. "After all, I sell an entirely different product and I just want to buy shipping space."

"Such an assurance would definitely please my associates."

"I knew we could eventually come to an understanding." Still smiling, Kourpasiri turned to flick the butt of his cigarette into the water. Something breaking surface caught his eye. All color drained from his face when he recognized an old nemesis. "It's the Giant Blonde She-Male, RUN!" His men needed no further encouragement. They dropped their weapons and started running for their lives, leaving a couple of confused narcos behind. They had barely turned to see what had spooked the Thais so much, when Sarah decked one of them with a hard kick and knifed the other before he could raise his weapon. Her priority now was to stop Kourpasiri from raising the alarm. She took off running after him, when suddenly she saw him trip and faceplant into the ground. Then someone made short work of his henchmen.

"Giant Blonde She-Male, really?" Chuck asked in a somewhat incredulous tone, coming out of the shadows.

"Chuck!" She ran to him and hugged him tight, but immediately let go. It was not over yet. "Where are the hostages?"

"They are locked up in the big warehouse over there. I took care of the baddies between here and there, at least those that had not already passed out drunk."

"Did you hear that, Casey?"

"I heard, Walker." Casey then passed the info to Ortiz. It was over in minutes. The Costa Gravan commandos rounded up the criminals and freed the hostages. Then, they called for helicopters to take them back to the city.

-o-

Casey and Morgan were happy to see Chuck again. They made some small talk, and then he took Sarah to the beach, away from the noise of the mopping up operations. Together, they walked in silence for a few minutes, while Sarah undid her long flowing ponytail and wrung the water out of her hair, leaving it loose in order to dry faster.

"In case you are wondering where the moniker the Thais gave me came from," she began awkwardly.

"I know. When this Kourpasiri guy blurted it out, I flashed. I was going to stop it, but I had to flash on kung-fu as well, so I saw everything about your mission in Thailand."

"Actually, I don't mind."

"Well, it's good to know that you will not hesitate to leave a trail of carnage and mayhem in your wake to protect those you love."

"And I love you, Chuck Bartowski."

"I kind of had this figured out a long time ago, but it's never tiring to hear you say it." He stopped and took a look around. The full moon was bathing the whole cove in light, reflecting off the fine white sand and the sea. Morgan's words about a non-mission mission came to his mind. It was now, or wait for another perfect opportunity.

"It's beautiful here, Chuck."

"Sarah, until a few days ago, I was anxious to make this moment as perfect as possible. I was drawing up plans after plans, but a wise friend said to scrap the plans and just go with my heart."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sarah Walker," he said and knelt on the sand before her, producing the red box from a pocket and opening it to reveal the ring, "will you marry me?"

"Yes! Yes, yes and yes! You don't know how happy you are making me, Chuck."

"FYI, you are making me the happiest man in the world, Sarah." He slipped the ring on her finger and rose to kiss her. They were kissing for what seemed like hours before the need for oxygen forced them to pull apart. Looking into each other's eyes, chocolate brown into sapphire blue, they smiled.

"There you are," Casey said. "There will be time for your games of tonsil hockey later. Right now, we need to go…" His voice trailed off when he saw the smiles on their faces and the ring on Sarah's finger. "I'll be damned. Congratulations." He stuck his hand out and Chuck shook it.

"Thanks buddy."

"Thank you John, for everything," Sarah said and hugged him.

"Enough with the lady feelings," he said, while Morgan was congratulating the happy couple. "Let's go back to the hotel. We need to tell the others that we are all fine. I also need a shower, a cigar and some rum."

-o-

"Little brother, you are back!" Ellie exclaimed.

"We are back, sis."

"You are in so much trouble. Do you know how worried we…Chuck, you proposed to Sarah!" She had just seen the ring on Sarah's finger.

"And I said yes, but that's rather obvious," Sarah smiled.

"Come here you two!" Ellie crushed the engaged couple in a bear hug.

"Congratulations guys, that's awesome," Devon said, moving in to rescue them from his enthusiastic wife. Kathleen also moved forward to congratulate them.

The following morning, Morgan returned to Burbank. The others stuck to the original plan and stayed in Costa Gravas for another couple of days. Needless to say, Sarah was not letting Chuck out of her sight, as she claimed that he had an uncanny ability to attract trouble like a magnet when she was not around to keep him in check. Casey's jokes about the old ball and chain drew him a couple of angry glares from Sarah, until she decided to just ignore him.

During the flight home, happy fiancée Sarah had her horny mode come into play, so she grabbed Chuck and together they renewed their subscription to the Mile-High Club in the luxurious lavatory of Goya's presidential aircraft.

Back home, she happily told her parents and sister about the engagement. Chuck's parents were just as happy and Ellie decreed that she would throw them an engagement party very soon. Sarah thought that, if it was possible for a person to die of happiness, she was terminally ill. Right now, she was content to relax in her fiancé's arms and fall asleep. She would seek advice on how to be a fiancée and how to mentally prepare for the wedding from Katie and Mary tomorrow. _I'm soon going to be Mrs. Charles Bartowski. I love the sound of it_, was her last conscious thought before falling asleep.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34 – The Best Mission**

The mission had been a success. Casey and Sarah went to Castle to return the equipment after sending Chuck home. The Intersect had earned its keep that day, for not even its host could believe the things he managed to do with it. The aftereffects, overall soreness and a massive headache were not at all pleasant, however. He wearily changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants, plopped down on the bed and picked up a comic book. Then he turned on the TV. A knock on the open Morgan door made him look up. His eyes almost bulged out of their sockets at the sight of his fiancée, still in her mission outfit, which consisted of a tight white open-necked shirt leaving her midriff bare and showing quite a bit of cleavage, a very, very short black skirt, a silver gray tie and a Nerd Herd nametag hanging from her neck, and high-heel ankle-strap sandals.

"Hi, I hear you are having a computer problem," Sarah said seductively.

"Uh, yeah," he stammered, still admiring her. Finally deciding that two could play the game, he said, "I do happen to have a serious computer problem. I hope you know how to fix an Intersect."

"For the Nerd Herd nothing is impossible, Mr. Bartowski," she said and entered the room stepping over the window sill. Suggestively swaying her hips she reached the foot of the bed and crawled on it towards him on all fours. Straddling his legs, she placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back onto the pillows before leaning in and passionately kissing him. He wrapped his arms around her slim waist and pulled her to him. They didn't break the kiss as they started rolling on the bed, at one point almost falling off. Rolling back to a safe spot they started shedding their clothes.

-o-

"I love you, Mr. Bartowski," she said in the morning when the alarm clock woke them up.

"I love you, future Mrs. Bartowski."

"We should set a date for the wedding. My Mom and Mary are beginning to pester me about it."

"Yeah, about that… tell you what, we'll tell them that we don't know when we'll be able to get married, but we know when we can't."

"I already told them," Sarah replied. Ellie had expressly forbidden them from getting married until after she'd given birth. Originally, they had attributed it to the pregnancy and its increased hormonal levels, but she was deadly serious, as it turned out, because she wanted to look her best at her little brother's wedding, which in turn meant that first baby Clara had to come out and then she would have to lose some of the baby fat. Of course, the prohibition didn't extend to the engagement party. Ellie would just have to steer clear of the booze.

"We still have the engagement party to appease our parents and have fun with our friends."

"Good idea, Chuck. Shower?"

"Sure." As it transpired, they had to wait in order to take a shower, as the bathroom was already occupied by Morgan and Alex. The two couples were spared an embarrassing situation because Chuck had had the forethought of making a sign for the bathroom door that anyone using it would put up. Sarah used the delay to prepare a light breakfast, which the two couples enjoyed after she and her fiancé had showered.

-o-

Team Chuck's string of successes remained unbroken when the Morocco mission was completed. An upside to it was that Chuck finally got to meet Roan Montgomery, whose tips he'd once used to try to romance Sarah – until the job messed up his plans. Even more amusing was seeing Beckman turn into a schoolgirl with a crush at the very mention of the veteran agent. The two had a long history of an on again-off again romance, as it turned out.

Immediately following their return, and after a sensuous private belly dance recital by Sarah, they briefly entertained the notion of eloping, but changed their minds, as they didn't want to face the combined wrath of their families. A downside was that the missions were taking up too much of their time, forcing them to keep postponing their engagement party. Fortunately, three days after their return from Morocco, Graham informed them that Beckman had taken a few days off and there was little likelihood of missions. If anything came up, he would contact them. It was the perfect opportunity to finally have the party.

-o-

"I don't understand your problem, Chucky," Carina said.

"You are Sarah's sister and you know her better than anyone. And it's a simple enough question."

"It is, but you still haven't told me the reason for asking it."

"Well, it's about our engagement party."

"Good luck with that. It's turning into an obsession for Ellie."

"True, but I'm more concerned about the guest list. All our friends will be there, but I don't know any of _Sarah's_ friends, let alone how to invite them. I thought it might be a good idea to…"

"OK, I get it. Come to think of it, there is always the CAT Squad."

"You were both in this CAT Squad?" Chuck asked after flashing on the now disbanded spy team.

"Yes, we were. Sarah was made a member just after graduating from Harvard."

"Can you please call the other girls…?"

"I'll take care of it. Don't worry, Chuckles. After all, it's my baby sister we are talking about here."

"Thanks Carina. I'll owe you one."

"You're lucky that your fiancée is Sarah, otherwise I'd be collecting on the debt big time," Carina said sexily. _The Walker girls are going to be the death of me_, Chuck thought. He still gave his future sister in law a hug before leaving to go back to work. Carina sighed and sat down by the window. Pulling her phone from a pocket, she dialed a number she had not called in ages.

"Hello?"

"Zondra? Hi, it's Carina."

"Hey Carina, long time no see. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing great, actually, what about you?"

"The same," Zondra shrugged.

"Listen, I have news."

"Good news or bad news?"

"Take it as you like. Basically, Walker has gotten engaged recently and her fiancé asked me to invite some of her friends to the engagement party. Yours was the first name on my list."

"I thought I'd never live to see the day Walker would settle down…"

"Yeah, me neither."

"Still, as you may recall, the relationship between her and me is not exactly friendly anymore."

"Damn it, Zondra, I thought you two would have buried the hatchet by now."

"Forgive me if I'm making a big deal out of your best friend considering me a traitor."

"What? You mean you never got the news?"

"News, what news?"

"Amy was the traitor. She was made some time after the CAT Squad was disbanded."

"Shit… Does Walker know?"

"I'm not sure… No, I don't think she does."

"OK, she was wrong about me and I was wrong about her. Where does that leave us?"

"Come to her engagement party. I'll tell her about Amy."

"Maybe I will."

"Great! I'll have to get back to you with the time and place. Chuck forgot to tell me."

"Is this Chuck Sarah's fiancé?"

"He's a great guy, Zondra."

"Has to be, if he's managed to tame Sarah. By the way, what happened to Amy?"

"From what I heard, she cut a plea and turned State evidence to avoid going to jail. She's no longer in the game, though."

"Not quite the fate I expected, but it'll have to do, I suppose. Carina, please tell Sarah about her. We were friends and I was hurt when the whole mistrust business happened."

"Don't worry. I'll tell her everything. I bet she'll be thrilled."

"Just give me a call."

"You just be ready for some wild partying, like the good old days. See you!" Carina hung up and meowed in satisfaction.

-o-

The Buy More was busy, but still Skip devoted his time to helping his former supervisor and his fiancée as they stocked up on office supplies. Sarah had just picked up a large pack of blank DVDs when she saw a familiar face among the rush of shoppers. The other woman saw her too and her eyes widened in recognition. Sarah surreptitiously gestured a question to her and she replied in the same way, then asking the same question. Sarah's answer caused a wide smile to appear on her face.

"Come with me, Chuck," Sarah said.

"OK, what is the matter…?" He saw the other blonde and flashed.

"Hi Sarah," she said brightly.

"Hi Alex," Sarah replied. "I'd like you to meet my fiancé, Chuck Bartowski. Chuck, this is my friend and roommate at the Farm, Alex Forrest."

"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Forrest."

"Likewise, Mr. Bartowski. So, you got engaged, Walker? You've come a long way from the snot-nosed college freshman I met at the Farm."

"So says the constipated, by-the-book Second Lieutenant who had just been recruited into the CIA."

"It's Captain now, thank you very much." Alex and Sarah hugged.

"Well, Captain Forrest, first of all you can call me Chuck. Second, are you ladies in the mood for some fro-yo? I'm buying."

"That's the best offer I've had all day. And, Chuck, just call me Alex." The three paid for their purchases in the Buy More and headed out together towards the Orange Orange, where they took a table in a quiet corner.

"Before you start revisiting the good old times, Sarah and I are having an engagement party in a couple of days. I think it would mean a lot to her if you were to come."

"I'd love to. Say, Sarah, since you already mentioned the Farm in front of Chuck, I suppose he's one of us, right?"

"He's one of my partners, yes."

"Frankly, I've never heard of him, no offence."

"None taken," Chuck said. "Maybe you've heard of my cover name, Charles Carmichael."

"You are Carmichael?"

"In the flesh."

"It's really an honor to meet you."

"Same here."

They spent some more time talking and then it was time to go back to the office. Alex was on vacation, as she told them, so she would definitely make it to the party. Sarah was really happy to reconnect with an old friend of hers. Chuck considered telling her about the invitations he'd sent to the CAT Squad via Carina, but decided to surprise her.

-o-

Sarah was checking and rechecking everything. The first guests would be arriving soon and she wanted everything to be just perfect. There was a knock on the door and Sarah frowned. It was a bit early for anyone to be coming for the party.

"Sis, Chuckles, open up," Carina yelled.

"I'll get it," Sarah said. She threw the door open and swept her sister into a hug.

"Take it easy, kid. I've got a surprise for you."

"Surprise, what surprise?"

"Hello Sarah," Zondra said.

"Zondra, hi."

"Sarah, there is something I neglected to tell you. Zondra knows because I told her, and it's time you learn it, too. Amy was the mole."

"What? So, Zondra and I were blaming each other for nothing?"

"Uh-huh."

"I'm sorry," Sarah and Zondra told each other in unison.

"Good, now you two can be friends again."

"Thank you Carina," Sarah said, hugging both her sister and her old friend.

"Where's the lucky guy hiding, Sarah?" Zondra asked.

"I'm not hiding!" Chuck called.

"He's in the kitchen," Sarah laughed. "Don't just stand there, come on in."

The engagement party was a huge success. In one fell swoop, Sarah also found a maid of honor (Ellie), plus bridesmaids (Carina, Zondra and Alex McHugh). At one point, Carina pulled some of the other girls aside and, casting furtive glances in her little sister's direction, briefed them on a plan of hers, to which they agreed enthusiastically.

-o-

A few months later, finally Ellie gave birth to her baby girl. In turn, this meant that Chuck and Sarah now had the all clear to proceed with their own wedding. Chuck took it upon himself to plan it to the last detail. Sarah didn't even know where it would take place. The only tasks she was given was to see to the wedding dress, the bridesmaids' dresses and take care of the catering for the reception. All the while, Chuck would do anything to make sure he had time for his new niece. Everyone, even Casey, adored Clara. Sarah, who often had to baby-sit her between missions and work at Orion Computers and Software, found to her surprise that she was a natural with children. Mary and Stephen of course, were ecstatic to be grandparents and were spoiling the little girl rotten, aided and abetted by Woody and Honey Woodcomb every time they happened to drop by.

Before the wedding, there was just the little matter of the traditional parties for both the bride and the groom. Yet again, the men had to endure lectures from their better halves to behave, or else. They had already gone to a club Awesome had picked, when Carina and Zondra arrived together with Alex Forrest. Ellie was privy to the plan, as were Alex and Jill. They dragged Sarah out of the apartment and took her to a minibus parked nearby. Eve Nichols was waiting, leaning on the hood, and greeted Sarah warmly. Completing the bachelorette party team were Ilsa Trinchina and Sydney Prince.

In the morning, Chuck woke up feeling pressure on both sides. To his right, Sarah was sleeping still in her green dress and jewelry; to his left, he saw another blonde, who had her back to him.

"Sarah?" He shook his fiancée lightly.

"Head… hurts," she complained. "Please stop shouting."

"What happened?"

"Ow… Um, we partied."

"No shit."

"We went to a new nightclub, then checked out Vegas and finally ended up in an after hours joint in Miami. Ugh, I'm never drinking again."

"Who's sleeping in our bed with us?"

Sarah sat up and glanced at the other side of the bed. "That's Alex. The girls were too tired to go to a hotel, so they crashed here."

"All of them?"

"Uh-huh. Although, I think Devon collected Ellie when we arrived."

"Let's take stock of the situation." He got up and went to the living room, where he did a head count. Jill had claimed the recliner. Ilsa and Sydney were sharing the couch, while Zondra was comfortable on an air mattress and Eve had made a similar choice. There was no sign of Alex and Carina.

"They must be in Morgan's room," Sarah shrugged. And indeed they were. Morgan's reaction to waking up between two women, one of whom (Carina) had slept in the buff after getting her dress wet while trying to have a drink of water when they had all gotten back to Echo Park, was priceless. The little accident was proof of how drunk the girls had gotten, so Alex didn't mind that she and her boyfriend were sharing a bed with a sheet- clad Carina. She was too drunk to care, anyway. Chuck and Morgan called Bryce and together started trying to sort out the mess, first making huge quantities of coffee, while Devon brought over a few bottles of aspirin.

When their big day arrived, Sarah was in her apartment, getting ready together with the other girls. Casey had dismissed Chuck's idea about renting a limo to take the bride to the still secret wedding site, claiming this privilege for himself and his Crown Victoria. It was a gesture to show how much he appreciated his partners. His wife – he and Kathleen had gotten married a couple of months earlier, as Ellie's wedding prohibition decree did not extend to them – wholeheartedly supported the idea.

"Casey, where are we going?" Sarah asked impatiently. She noticed that her partner was taking a roundabout route.

"You'll see, Walker, soon to be Mrs. Moron."

"Hey!"

"Just kidding, Sarah."

"Cut each other some slack, will you?" Alex said. She and Ellie were flanking Sarah in the back seat. Kathleen, riding shotgun, was trying to stop laughing. Behind them, Devon was following in his own car, with Zondra and Carina.

"Casey, this is…"

"Bartowski told me to bring you here." He opened the door for her and she stepped out to find her parents waiting. Beyond the parking area was Chuck's favorite spot on the beach, a red carpet over the sand leading to where he was standing with Morgan and Bryce, waiting for Devon to join them.

-o-

"Dearly beloved, we gathered here today to join Charles Irving Bartowski and Sarah-Samantha Lisa Walker in matrimony," the Justice of the Peace began the ceremony. Sarah had done everything necessary to legally have both names her mother had given her on the day she was born. "Who gives this woman away to this man?"

"We do," Jack, Katie and Carina replied. Sarah was beaming as she walked towards Chuck.

"Marriage is a partnership and as such it should not be entered into lightly, but with much consideration. If anyone can show just cause why they should not be joined, let them speak now, or forever hold their peace." As expected, no one spoke up. "Do you have the rings?" Morgan smiled and took them out of his pocket.

"Sarah… Sam… we are ready for this. We have proven that we are made for each other and will keep proving it, to ourselves and to the people we love, every day. Accept this ring as yet another token of my unending love for you." With that, Chuck slipped the wedding band on Sarah's finger.

"Chuck, there is not much I can add, in fact I feel that whatever I say now will be too little compared to what you said. But you've been helping me be a better person every day since we met, and I only hope I am a positive influence to you as well. Together we are one, in every way. We have been through a lot, good things and bad, yet we faced them together and this is the way I want us to go on. I love you, forever and ever," Sarah said and placed the second ring on Chuck's finger.

"By the authority vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride," the Justice of the Peace said. The newly wedded couple's lips met in a slow, passionate kiss. When they ended it, they just rested their foreheads together for a few seconds.

"I love you, Mrs. Bartowski."

"I love you, Mr. Bartowski."

All the assembled guests applauded. Ellie, Carina, Mary and Katie could barely hold their tears of joy. The men were smiling widely. With everything wrapped up on the beach, it was time for the reception. Once again it was held in the courtyard of the apartment complex. Ellie and Alex had even decorated the fountain. Chuck took a look around, obviously satisfied. He spotted his father talking to General Beckman, who'd come accompanied by Roan Montgomery. Sarah's parents were having a little chat with Langston Graham. The two directors had flown to LA, not wanting to miss the wedding of two of their best agents. The bouquet and garter throwing rituals were interesting, to say the least. Carina had disappeared, lest Sarah get back to her for Ellie's bouquet conspiracy, so Sarah threw it without aiming. It was Alex McHugh who outfoxed the other ladies and walked away with the prize. Similarly, Morgan out-weaseled the eligible bachelors to claim Sarah's garter.

As for the honeymoon, Chuck and Sarah did not tell anyone where they were going. It was part of a game they wanted to play with their families and friends. They would simply email them pictures, and the others would have to guess where said pictures were taken. In due course it was proven that Tigress mode applied to wife Sarah as well. Casey was the one to answer correctly, only because he recognized a geological feature, having himself been to the same place once.

Following their return to Burbank, Chuck and Sarah settled down into the routine of a married couple. Not that it differed from what they were already used to. The company was doing great (Chuck's flight simulator game had won the games critics award at the E3), plus it was branching out into hardware. As far as their secret lives were concerned, after Volkoff there was just no villain worthy of a long concerted effort by the team, so missions tended to be short and sweet.

Not long ago, Graham and Beckman had contacted them and informed them of their decision to expand the team by adding Bryce and Jill to it. The former would be operating out of the local CIA office, acting as a liaison and taking part in missions when required, while the latter would continue her Intersect related research with Ellie and Stephen.

-o-

The family dinner in the courtyard was in full swing. Sarah went to the cooler to get another soda and started making her way back to Chuck, when she suddenly felt dizzy. She wobbled on her feet, stumbled and fell on the ground as her world went black.

"Sarah!" Chuck was by her side in an instant and everyone gathered in a concerned circle around them. Ellie and Devon immediately took over. Mary was holding Katie back.

"Let Ellie and Devon take a look at Sarah," she said. Katie said nothing and just squeezed Mary's hand.

"Ellie, say something! Is she going to be okay?" Chuck anxiously asked his sister.

"There seems to be nothing wrong with her. I'll need her medical history to confirm, but at first glance she looks okay."

"She might have just been tired, Chuckster," Devon said. "I know how hard you guys have been working lately."

"We need to take her to the hospital, just to be on the safe side," Stephen said calmly.

"I'll go warm up the Vic," Casey added and left.

"Chuck, you, Awesome and Ellie take Sarah to the hospital with Casey. Stephen, take Carina, Alex and Kathleen in your jeep. Mary, take Katie and Clara in Devon's car. I'll take Jack in the DeMorgan. I'm sure it's not serious and Sarah will be just fine," Morgan said. Chuck picked Sarah up in his arms and followed Devon and Ellie. He, Mary and Alex had the presence of mind to lock up the three apartments and filed out to the parking lot. The Vic was already gone, so the remaining people there piled in Morgan's DeLorean, Devon's Toyota and Stephen's jeep. Throughout the drive to the hospital, Mary was trying to comfort Katie, who was understandably worried about her baby daughter.

-o-

"We're late," Jill grumbled.

"It's not my fault we had a flat tire," Bryce said defensively as he parked the car. Then his agent senses sounded the alarm. "Something's wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"Sarah's Porsche is here, but I don't see the others' cars."

"You are right. Come on, let's see what's going on." Out of habit, they checked their guns first.

They entered the courtyard and found a middle aged couple talking by the fountain. There was still evidence that a dinner party had been taking place not a long time ago.

"Excuse me," Bryce said, addressing the man, "but what happened here? Chuck invited us tonight and there's nobody home."

"They have all gone over to Westside Medical. Sarah, Chuck's wife, just fainted all of a sudden and they took her there for tests and observation."

"Is she OK?" Jill asked, worried. She and Sarah cared about each other like the good friends they were.

"We don't know," the woman said. "Ellie said that everything seemed okay at first glance."

"Thank you. We need to go to the hospital, now."

"Let's go. Ma'am, sir, thank you," Bryce said.

-o-

"What's taking them so long?" Chuck was nervously pacing the waiting room.

"Sit down, Moron," Casey grumbled. "Walker's in good hands." Chuck just went to a corner and stood, anxiously tapping a Converse clad foot. When Ellie came out, she went straight to him and hugged him. There was no mistaking the smile that threatened to split her face in two.

"Congratulations, little brother," she said.

"Uh, what?"

"Dude," Morgan said, "unless I got it all wrong, you are going to be a daddy!"

"Who, me?" Chuck still couldn't believe it. Mary and Katie did and were holding each other, little Awesomette next to them, laughing and crying at the same time. Jack simply walked over to Stephen and pumped his hand.

"She wants to see you, Chuck," Ellie said. He followed her inside the examination room, where Awesome was wrapping it up together with the gynecologist. Sarah looked excited, scared and happy.

"Chuck?"

"I'm here baby. I love you so much." He sat next to her and gently took her in his embrace. "We are going to be parents, it's so awesome…" She just latched on to her husband and cried.

"Bro, it gets better," Devon said jovially.

"What can be better than learning that we are going to have a baby?"

"Learning that you are going to have two babies," Awesome deadpanned. They just gaped at him, while Ellie let out an excited squeal/scream that had the others rushing inside to see what was wrong.

"Twins?" Chuck asked, his voice breaking with emotion.

"Two little Chucks," Sarah said, looking into his eyes.

"Or two little Sarahs," he countered.

"Or one of each," Morgan added.

"I'd like that," replied Sarah. They kissed to a round of thunderous applause by their relatives and friends.

"Hey guys, what did we miss? Sarah, are you OK?" Bryce said, entering the room with Jill hot on his heels.

"Bryce? Jill? What are you doing here?"

"You invited us to dinner, remember? We had a flat tire on the way and arrived at your place late. The neighbors told us where we could find you."

"Well, there is nothing to worry about," Sarah said.

"Are you sure? You are white as a sheet."

"Jill, I'm fine. I'm just pregnant."

"This is amazing! Congratulations!" Jill hugged Sarah. Bryce pumped Chuck's hand.

"It gets better," Chuck said. "We are having twins."

"That's… awesome. Chuck, my man, congratulations again."

"Can we all just go home now and get back to having a good time?" Sarah asked. In the Vic, Chuck was riding shotgun, while in the back seat Mary and Katie were on Sarah's flanks, protectively quartering the younger woman.

-o-

"Thank you Chuck, this is useful information," Graham said. He had called for an unscheduled videoconference, as he had some intel he wanted Chuck to review, especially since the Intersect computer was down for its scheduled periodic maintenance.

"We'll let you know if we have anything for you," Beckman said.

"General, Director," Sarah interrupted before their superiors could sign off, "I have a request to make."

"What is it, Sarah?" Graham asked.

"Sir, as of today, I'd like to be taken off field operations."

"Congratulations to both of you," Graham said with a knowing smile. General Beckman, quite uncharacteristically, was also smiling. They both knew that there could only be one reason for Sarah Walker to make such a request.

"I suppose it's too early to ask if it's a boy or a girl," added the General.

"We are hoping for one of each, General," Chuck said. "Apparently we are going into parenthood big time."

"You are having twins?" Graham asked. "Well, congratulations again. The request is granted, of course. Have you thought about the future, Sarah?"

"Yes, I have, sir. I am not going to make the same mistake Chuck's mother did. But I'm not sure I want to leave the CIA entirely, so I was hoping for an administrative or analyst position."

"I see no problem with you handling the administrative and logistical requirements of your team."

"Thank you sir." She turned to her husband. "Chuck, what do you think?"

"I am a father first and foremost, now. I'll opt for an analyst position, too."

"So be it," Beckman said. "Maybe we can still use your talents in an additional capacity. You can be instructors as well, teaching new agents the tricks of the trade."

"We can do that," Sarah said.

-o-

"How did this happen?" Ellie asked. "I mean, it's great, but you two were always fanatical about using protection."

"It's Morgan's fault," Chuck said. He was, or at least looked, totally serious.

"It's MY fault? Can you please clarify, buddy?" Morgan asked.

"You spiked the punch at my birthday party. We got drunk and forgot all about the protection," Sarah explained, while playing with Ellie's daughter.

"That's awesome, guys. We'll help in any way we can," Devon said, smiling widely.

Sarah's approach to her pregnancy was concise and methodical. She would deal with it the way she knew best. First of all, she decided to go over everything she had learned by observing Ellie when she was pregnant on Clara, talk to her and borrow all her pregnancy books. Accumulating knowledge on the subject would help keep her from freaking out completely. And having Chuck's support from start to finish was another plus. Katie and Mary were there for her every day, helping every way they could. They knew that eventually they would have to temporarily take over all household chores from Sarah, and they did. Morgan and Alex had moved out to give the Bartowski family more space and had moved to Kathleen's house. The tenant had fortunately left after getting a transfer at work, so it was free for the couple.

A few months into the pregnancy…  
"Oversized balloon or Goodyear blimp my ass," Sarah grumbled, looking at her bloated figure in the mirror. "I've become a fucking lead Zeppelin and it's entirely your fault." She had conveniently forgotten that just five minutes ago she had wolfed down a not-so-veggie pizza (heavy on the olives and with country sausage and bacon in it) and a bag of cheese puffs. The kids had a tremendous appetite, or so she claimed.

"Honey, watch your language. Do you really want the kids to hear you talk like that?"

"How long do you think it'll be before Casey teaches them to swear worse than that?" Sarah retorted.

"Come here." He sat her on his lap. "It's only natural for you to have, um, expanded like this. Just keep this in mind: You have our kids in there." He gently ran a hand over her bulging belly.

"I know. But I do miss my old figure. Don't you?"

"You'll be back to normal in no time once those two are out of the oven."

"They better hurry. They are growing fast and with the gymnastics they are performing in my gut…"

"Do you feel them move?"

"Move? They are breakdancing in there!" As if on cue, the twins moved and Chuck felt it. His reaction was to kiss his lovely wife tenderly.

Another issue they dealt with was the kids' names. They settled on a name for the girl quickly enough, but hit a stalemate on the boy's name issue for a while. Sarah wanted to name her son after her husband, but he nixed the idea, claiming that he didn't want his little boy to eventually adopt a name like 'Indiana Bartowski' or 'Mutt Bartowski' to distinguish himself from his father and avoid being called 'Charles Irving Bartowski Jr.', or just plain 'Junior'. So they compromised and decided on another name.

Ninth month…  
"Chuck?" Sarah shook him awake.

"What is it, baby?" Chuck asked sleepily.

"My water just broke."

"Wha- WHAT?"

"Chuck! Don't freak out on me, OK? Go tell Ellie. I'll take a quick shower and we'll be on our way."

"OK." He turned and consulted the chart Devon had made for him. The car had a tank full of gas, his keys, stopwatch and push mix were all there, and he had committed all details of the Awesome Route to Westside Medical to memory. At this hour there was not much traffic, anyway.

While the nurses were wheeling Sarah towards the delivery room, she grabbed a handful of her husband's shirt and savagely yanked him close to her.

"Charles Irving Bartowski, you're cut off indefinitely, if I don't kill you first for what you did to me," she screamed into his face.

"Just breathe, honey," he said soothingly, ignoring the assault on his eardrums. For her sake, he was trying to appear calm, despite the fact that he was freaking out monumentally, but it only infuriated Sarah even more.

"I'm going to filet you with my knives and feed you to the dog, you bastard!"

"Sarah, we don't have a dog."

"I'll get the biggest, meanest, most vicious son of a bitch I can find!" She then pulled him even closer and kissed him so hard that his lip bled.

Chuck continued holding her hand, which she relentlessly squeezed with every contraction, until he lost almost all feeling in it.

-o-

"Come on, Sarah, push," said the doctor. "Come on, we're so close." Sarah gritted her teeth, groaned and followed the doctor's instructions. Less than a minute later, a baby's cry filled the room. Jack Stephen Bartowski had finally been born. Sarah then threw herself into the effort to bring her second child to the world with renewed vigor and Samantha Eleanor Bartowski appeared a few minutes after her brother.

"You did it, honey," Chuck said enthusiastically and hugged his wife.

"We did it together," she replied smiling, looking at her children as the nurses were taking care of them. Her husband leaned closer and kissed her. She returned the kiss and when he pulled back she went limp in his arms.

"Sarah?" There was no reply. Her breathing was still rapid, but was slowly returning to normal.

"Let her rest," the doctor told him. "She just gave birth to two good sized babies. I can only imagine the pain she was in and I am a mother myself," she added. He just smiled and brushed a few strands of matted hair off Sarah's sweat covered forehead.

-o-

"Well?" Casey asked when a very happy Chuck went over to where the others were gathered.

"Who came out first?" Morgan added.

"Jack, but Sam was a close second," Chuck replied.

"Hah! Those who bet on Sam being the firstborn, pay up!"

"Casey, you guys were betting on which one of my kids would be born first?"

"We had to do something while we were waiting." He then turned to Bryce. "Show me the money, Larkin."

"How's Sarah doing?" Jill asked, while Bryce paid one hundred dollars to Casey.

"She's out cold, but otherwise fine. The doctor said that it was only to be expected and that she'll soon regain consciousness."

"OK, I'll go keep her company." Ellie then disappeared in the direction of the room Sarah was being taken to after everything was wrapped up in the delivery room, followed by Carina, Jill and Alex.

-o-

Chuck, along with his parents and the in-laws, was at the nursery window, looking at his children. Morgan had been right that day when they'd learned that Sarah was pregnant: they did have one of each. Little Jack looked just like his father, while Sam was the spitting image of her mother, as Katie confirmed.

A couple of days after the kids were born, Sarah's hospital room was full of people. Alex Forrest gently cradled little Jack in her arms, while Eve looked on. Suddenly he started pawing at Forrest's boobs.

"Look at that," she exclaimed.

"You little stud you," Eve laughed and tickled Jack. She laughed harder when the baby pinched her nose.

"This one is going to be killing it with the ladies," Bryce remarked. Meanwhile, Sydney Prince was playing with little Sam, who was in her mother's arms. Sarah's fellow CAT Zondra was looking on, amused.

"This one is a lady," she declared when Sam reached out and took her pendant in her tiny fingers, attracted by the shiny object. They were all having lots of fun, the babies first and foremost. They were really enjoying being the center of attention. Of course, it couldn't last, as the head nurse declared that visiting hours were over a little while later.

-o-

"Home, at last," Sarah said, entering the courtyard.

"Do you think the kids will like their room?" Chuck asked for the hundredth time.

"Sure they will," she replied, a little exasperated.

"Let's do this."

"I can think of no better mission than raising them, Chuck."

"Me neither," he admitted.

"But we'll have to keep our parents in check, lest they spoil Jack and Sam even more rotten than Clara."

"Good luck with that," he muttered.

-o-

Having two kids forced Chuck and Sarah to develop new routines. There was no lack of willing babysitters, but they couldn't keep themselves away from the babies for long. Plus, Sarah was a firm believer in the value of breastfeeding, so this was another reason why she started taking them to work. She had returned to the office even before her maternity leave was technically over, forcing her husband to turn the lounge where they usually spent their breaks into a nursery of sorts. Once, Sarah managed to secure a contract by excusing herself to a client, who was a woman, in order to tend to her children and favorably impressing her with her dedication to both work and family.

-o-

"Hey, Walker," Casey said, entering the Orion offices.

"It's Bartowski now, Casey."

"OK, Mrs. Moron, how are the Evil Twins?"

"They are thirsting for your blood," she replied. Every time her partner threw a barb, she had an appropriate answer. Of course, he didn't really mean 'Bartowski Spawn', 'Walker Litter' and 'Evil Twins' as insults to little Jack and Sam, but rather as teases to their parents. He had warmed to the babies as much as everybody else.

"Chuck in his office?"

"Yes."

"Graham called. He wants you two to give a lecture to some CIA rookies at the local training facility."

"We can handle it."

"I wish I'd be there to watch."

"How come?"

"Sarah, the first thing they teach over there is the Cardinal Rule. What will the students think when they start getting lectured by a married couple?"

"I'll tell them what I always say. Sometimes it helps to know you have something to lose."

"That it does, honey," Chuck said, entering his wife's office. "Hi Casey," he added acknowledging his friend's presence. "When's the lecture?"

"Next week. See you two around," Casey said and left.

"Good, because tonight the Bartowskis are going to be busy. Sarah, we have a lot to do and very little time to do it."

"What is it now?"

"Our anniversary," he replied. "You didn't think I'd forget about it, did you?"

"Chuck, _I_ forgot all about it."

"Mom and Dad are coming to pick up the kids. We have the whole weekend to ourselves."

"Looks to me like you've been planning this."

"Anything for you, Sarah."

"You are the best husband, Chuck."

"I love you," they told each other in unison.

**THE END**

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* * *

A/N:** As with all things, this too, the longest story I have written so far, has to come to an end. It was fun writing it and it's good to see it was entertaining to you all.

I would really like to thank all of you for reading it, as well as your reviews and other forms of encouragement and support, such as adding it to your favorites and/or alerts. Special thanks go out to the community staffs who listed it in their archives.

Now, I'll take a short break from writing (not from reading – Balthazar, T-Rex, Chuckfan56, LittleCandyMan, to name but a few, I'm waiting for updates to your stories), but will soon be back with a story of war, greed, camaraderie and love.

Best regards to all of you out there.


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